A Turkish Tale
by B.Weber
Summary: Rose Hathaway was convicted for the crime of murdering Queen Tatiana. She thought she was dead. Four years later, it's time for her to learn that she has to face the past where she no longer belongs.
1. Chapter 1

A Turkish Tale

_Everyone who is giving my story a go, a huge THANK YOU! This is my first fanfic and also the first time I try to write in English. Critics are highly appreciated, especially when it comes to grammar. I'll be taking baby steps. Once again, thank you and good reading!_

1

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot!

I had been living in Turkey for the past four years. They hadn't been the easiest, but surely the time I took for myself slowly helped me heal some of my wounds. Superficially, at least. It still hurt to think back at the things I had to leave behind. But it wasn't like I'd ever had any other option really.

The whole being-framed-for-murdering-queen-bitch thing was crazy. Till today I can't tell if I spent a day or a year in that damn cell. I went through the trial and I was convicted. Guilty. Sentenced to death. And I was numb. But, in the end of the day, my dad saved me. Yep, my incredibly awesome mobster father, who was also the only other person I had the courage to tell about the lost Dragomir, came up with a fine escape plan involving my supposed death. I kid you not. Come to think of it, the man is just as insane as I am, so I probably shouldn't have been so shocked. Nonetheless my low opinion of his so called brilliant plan at the time, I promised I'd get along with it, though he never told me the details.

The whole time I was blocking Lissa's feelings. It was all horrible enough without adding her despair and grief to my own. I wanted to keep a happy memory of my best friend with me wherever I was going, if I was going anywhere at all. The last few days I started worrying whether my good deeds surpassed my bad ones. I was afraid not.

When the day of my execution arrived, I still had no idea what the man was going to do in order to save my ass, so I allowed myself to shout, and cry, and punch and just be mad at the world until Mikhail came to take me. I was glad it was a friendly face that got to escort me through my final steps. No one but my parents, my executioner and a few other guardians and members of the Royal Council to act as witnesses were allowed in the execution room.

My whole body was shaking as I hopped onto the table and let a Moroi tie the straps that would hold me. As if there was any chance I could escape a room fully packed with highly trained guardians. Most of them kept a blank face, but here and there I would get a glimpse of sadness. I knew most of them believed in my innocence, Mikhail had told me so.

Through the glass that separated me from the "audience", I saw my sobbing mother clutching on my father as if her life depended on it. I guess it did. When she met my eyes staring back at her she gulped, trying to recover whatever control she had left, and with the tenderest, most loving and regretful eyes I had ever seen on her face she mouthed "I love you" to me. I cried harder and mouthed the same thing back to her, oh so mad for never having the chance of building our newly found relationship. She ran to the glass and plastered her hands against it, her last attempt to reach me. My dad was behind her, supporting her weight, but unlike my mother's reaction, he got a determined look in his face. I grimaced under my tears, trying to show him how pissed I was at him. But I couldn't. In the end, my expression softened because I knew he would have tried his best. His eyes were so fierce, like he was trying to send me a message. However, I couldn't and wouldn't decipher whatever he was trying to say. Because the Moroi who had strapped me to the table was now stretching my left arm in order to get a good hold of my vein.

I saw the syringe in which the substance that would take my life away was contained. Such a small thing, and minutes after it was introduced in my small body, the game would be over for me. Chills were running up and down my spine, but there was nothing I could do. The Moroi came over and gently caressed my skin with the cotton plastered in alcohol. I was able to smirk to myself, much to everyone's astonishment, thinking how stupid could it be to prevent me from infection. Like I could die from it.

I didn't want to see it, so I turned my head. Soon enough I felt my skin being pierced as I was washed over with complete sorrow and fear. But, as the liquid took me over, my feelings changed. I was happy. Happy for having met Lissa, the best person in the world and my forever best friend, my true sister. Happy she found Sparky before it was over for me. Happy with the knowledge that Adrian was stronger than we ever gave him credit for and he would live through my death, maybe to find love again in the future. And happy for having the chance of, at least for a short period of time, seeing Dimitri as the dhampir, the honest and strong man he'd always been. My Russian god. My lover, my love, the one who would always own my heart, even when the mists of death had taken me from this world.

Dimitri.

Maybe he was right to let me go.

My eyes fluttered as my body felt weightless. I could faintly hear thuds coming from the glass, but my mind barely registered it was my mom punching it in desperation.

The Moroi had his face inches above from mine. He seemed... familiar. I had seen this guy. Where? I think he noticed my confusion, because a smile tugged at his lips and he whispered to me in a kind voice:

"Sleep. Everything will be better."

Then a name came to me, the last sparkle of thought from the infamous Rose Hathaway. Just as I was saying it, I couldn't help but think what a shame it was that my last word in this world had to be:

"Tad."

...

...

...

I woke up in a white room feeling a little dizzy and nauseous.

"Oh, fuck", I said, realization hitting me hard, "I'm so dead."

I looked frantically around, trying to get a look of my surroundings. I was shadow-kissed. Or had been, at least. Anyhow, I should be surrounded by darkness or the dead people that used to haunt me when I was alive. Instead, I was in a white bed, in a white room – that was huge, by the way – facing furniture in soft tones and a white door. Maybe someone from above had considered me good when in life. I actually doubted that a little, but who was I to question superior orders, right?

There was a window opening to a beautiful garden full of blossoming red and yellow flowers and, beyond, the horizon was lost in green fields that flattened the earth. The sky was blue. Everything was quiet, but the birds.

Man, I was so very, fucking dead.

Suddenly, the door burst open and I watched, horrified, my mother come into the room. She saw me and ran to me, clutching me to her chest despite her smaller figure. I started sobbing as I understood what must have happened.

"Why, mom, why?"

She stepped back so as to get a better look at my face, catching my tears with her caressing fingers all along.

"Because I love you so much."

"But you shouldn't have. I'm not worth it. You should be living, there was a life ahead of you with dad!"

She frowned then, confused.

"What are you talking about, Rose?"

I opened my eyes wide, trying to avoid the stubbornly falling tears and very conscious of what a fragile little girl I looked right then. And even dead, hating it.

"You, mom. Dead. You killed yourself after I was gone. That's why you're here with me."

She laughed so outright then I was in complete awe for a moment. Never in my life had I seen Janine Hathaway like this. A small smile when I was very lucky was all I could get from her. This afterlife might have its perks, after all.

"And where exactly do you think we are?" she asked.

The way she said it made me uncertain.

"Some sort of Heaven?" I answered hesitantly.

"The day Rose Hathaway goes to Heaven, Hell will break loose on Earth", came a deep voice from the door and I turned to face... No, shit, this couldn't be happening. My father.

"You're dead too!" I all but yelled at him in a accusing manner.

He snorted, coming to join my mother and I.

"No one's dead, little girl."

I froze. What the hell was that old man saying?

"You're wrong. I died..."

"Yes, you did. For a few hours.", said my mother.

My dad took from there: "Your heart stopped beating and you lost all of your vital signs. You were declared dead. They transferred you to the morgue soon after and that's when we operated or little magic. We stole your body and filled your supposed coffin with bricks. Quite original, huh? Since you were a convicted murderer, you had no right for a burial, so your 'body' was incinerated. Then we took you here with us and were waiting for the effects on your body to wear off. Your mother didn't get to know of the plan until we were on the plane. I had to keep her in the dark so that everything could work perfectly and I apologize for that."

By the end of his speech he was looking lovingly at my mother and I was in utter shock. The information couldn't sink in, just couldn't.

"What the hell! You people are nuts?" I exploded. Then it dawned on me. "What 'effects' were you talking about?"

Dad nodded towards the door and, for the first time, I noticed the man that was standing there. Some guardian I was. But it wasn't any man. It was _the_ man, the Moroi who had executed me. Or rather hadn't.

"Tad", I said, remembering the name.

He smiled at me and came closer.

"Thought you wouldn't remember", he said.

Tad. That's who he was. With some effort from my part, I could tell where I'd known him from. One single time we had seen each other in what seemed like another life. He'd been the guy my father had sent to me with the notebook the time Sidney asked me about the file on Eric Dragomir which had been stolen.

I just stared at him like an idiot.

"What I injected in you", he explained, ignoring my retarded attitude, "was a mix especially prepared by the Alchemists to keep the body under non-living conditions for a few hours. Now, I might have been the delivering guy, but you should thank your friend Sidney for that. Apparently, she truly appreciates you."

I was speechless. Touched. In complete delight to know that I was alive and, odds were, staying that way. It was all too soon to start thinking about the consequences this whole situation was bringing to my life, but, for now, it didn't matter. Because I had a life.

I still couldn't express a thank you beyond my grateful eyes, so I turned to my parents, a strange joy and anxiety starting at the pit of my stomach.

"So what now?" I asked.

My father blessed me with a grin spreading all over his face.

"Welcome to Turkey, my daughter. Welcome home, kiz."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much ****for the reviews! They brighten my day ^^**

**This chapter is a little depressing, but I promise the next one things start looking up! ****Just to clarify things, this isn't a Last Sacrifice story, it's a post-Last Sacrifice one actually.**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot, Cahil and Emel!

2

Surprise, surprise, I had a brother. A Moroi brother. Abe never ceased to amaze me. His name was Cahil, he was eight years older than me and he was a result from my father's previous marriage (which I learnt had ended when dad met a certain guardian named Janine. Good thing he did; otherwise, I wouldn't be here). His mother had given up on him, or so I had been told. Cahil was the nicest person on Earth (which could be quite irritating at times) despite his snarky comebacks, but I learnt to love him, nonetheless. He was also the next mobster-in-line and I couldn't think of something more mismatching to his kind character than this.

We all lived together in our father's property located just outside of Istanbul. It consisted of the main house, a nice three-story building with six bedrooms (therefore, plenty of space for us to live without trying to kill another being in sight) and the surrounding fields. Those were crisscrossed by a river and its many vessels forming a delta towards the sea. It was beautiful and the perfect landscape for me to ease my heartache.

I tried to hide it, but I was in pain. I missed my life. I missed my old me. Here there was no Lissa, no Dimitri, no Adrian. There wasn't even a Christian or Eddie. To my great surprise, there was Mikhail. He'd been aware of Abe's crazy plans from the very beginning and had deliberately helped me keep my sane state of mind when in jail. Mikhail came to me with news of all sorts from Court – who had married, who had broken up and so on. Also, he would tell me about the laws being voted, the splits in the Council and every other political shit that was happening. This and my constant visits to Lissa's head helped me keep the pain at a non-excruciating level, but scarcely. Until what I saw was too much and I decided I had to close the bond permanently.

She was a wreck after my execution. No one let her be there and no one let her see my body. She wasn't even allowed to see my ashes. Lissa thought she was doomed to insanity without me and started spiraling down into a great depression. It broke my heart to see her like this, but my parents had expressly forbidden me to contact any of my friends, at least until the real murderer of the queen was captured and, my name, cleaned.

"Oh, Christian, it should have been me in her place. She was so good and I'm useless without her."

"Shhh, love. Don't say that. You know Rosie wouldn't want you to be like that."

Nice, now he had nicknames after my dead body's back.

"They should have blamed me. She didn't deserve that. And now... I'm going to go mad."

"Lissa, don't. That's never going to happen. I'm here, you have me. I'll never leave your side."

I was still pissed at Pyro, but he had my best friend in his arms while she sobbed for my lost life, so I supposed I should give him some credit. And he was suffering too. He was trying to be strong for Lissa, but the pain was there in every line of his face.

"Dimitri's not going to make it", she said after a while.

Silence from Pyro. That got me a little worried.

"He will. I don't think he'll ever be the same or is ever going to forgive himself, but he's a tough man. He's been through so much and he knows he's here because of Rose. He won't dishonor her memories, though he might lose his heart in the process. But he'll make it; you and I will make sure of it."

I was so thankful to Christian at that moment. He and Lissa would look after Dimitri. There was nothing more I could ask for. I didn't know why Dimitri should have to feel guilty, though; if anything, I'd say he'd be happy with my final departure, since he wanted me so badly out of his life. Ok, maybe that was harsh, but as much as loved him, the scarred part of me would never completely forgive him.

They didn't talk about Adrian, but I discovered through Mikhail that he had moved to England where he could get drunk in peace.

In February, Lissa discovered she was pregnant. It was the first whoosh of joy in their new lives. In November, her baby boy was born. Lissa and Christian were the happiest couple on Earth and named him after her brother, Andre.

My parents, Pavel and I sat together cracking our heads and trying to figure out the mystery of the unknown Dragomir. I proudly say it was my last indirect contribution to Lissa's life, since I no longer was able to be a part of it. Turned out it was Jill, Jailbait of all people. Lissa didn't get to the throne, but caused quite a stir when she vetoed the 16-year-old law, or so I heard.

My life was in Istanbul with my family. My blood related family. Despite my bad mood whenever my past life was involved, I was in awe with the life that was being presented to me. My father, my mother and my brother – all together as a true family should be. It was strange in the beginning, but I got used to it.

My parents – shockingly – got married. To my profound horror, they decided not to go on a honeymoon trip. Instead, their honeymoon happened in the master bedroom next to mine.

I woke up (or rater got up, since I didn't get much sleep) to find I was the only one ready to breakfast. Cahil was out of the country attending (mobster) business. A couple of hours later, my parents lazily dragged their butts to the table.

"Had a good night?" I asked pleasantly.

They just nodded, ever so happy.

"Be careful not give this old man a stroke, mom." She choked on her toast, something hilarious to see.

"So not worth the trouble of having a baby brother", I added much to my father's delight, while she only blushed harder.

What could I say? Domestic life was bliss.

When I first arrived in Turkey, Tad had a newly born. Her name was Emel and her mother had died during her birth. I felt guilty to know that Tad had abandoned his parental duties to save my useless ass. But he did and I felt extremely grateful. In exchange, I spoiled his little girl every chance I got.

Tad and I became friends, really close ones. Due to some joke of fate, his deceived dhampir wife had been a distant cousin of mine, daughter of one of Abe's bastard siblings. Rumor has it Tad's woman was a true copy of me. As his little girl grew up, she started looking more and more like me, leading people to believe she was our daughter. I wasn't comfortable with that, but my friendship with Tad and my growing love for our little princess stopped me from trying to rip people's heads right off their necks.

My visits to Lissa's head continued as she struggled to adapt. Once, to my utter shock, I found a heartbroken Lissa trying to wake a drunken Dimitri who'd fallen in the snow. It was Christmas then and Tasha had come to visit and bring some joy into their lives.

"She was supposed to be here", he mumbled in the middle of his own sobs.

"I know, I know", was all Lissa could say without cracking.

"Life shouldn't exist without her".

She closed her eyes tightly, not having an argument to offer him. Silently, she tried to get him up and straightened.

"It was all my fault, Vasilisa, it was. She was counting on me and I failed her. I wasn't able to protect her, I never was. Not even from myself. Now she's dead –" He fell again on his butt and Lissa hurried to help him. She tried to soothe his pain much the same way Christian had done with her.

"Tell me this is a nightmare. Tell me I'll wake and have a training session with her in the morning. She'll be late, I know, she's always late..."

He trailed off then, mumbling and not making sense.

I couldn't listen to my Dimitri in such a state and saying those things, though I couldn't fathom why a man who didn't love me would act that way. Guilt, I thought. He believed he should have protected me because that's what he was – a protector.

Lissa put him safely in his bed before running to her own bedroom and locking herself in the bathroom. Then she did something she had promised me she would never do again.

"But you're not here anymore", she thought as if hearing me.

She cut herself.

I couldn't stand to see that. I got out of her head and warned Mikhail about her dangerous behavior. He promised not to tell anyone I had informed him about it and went back to Court to set up a flagrant. That day I promised I wouldn't involve myself in her problems. In a way, I didn't let go and I felt like a ghost that wouldn't let her move on with her life. I wondered if she somehow could feel me when I was with her.

Of course, occasionally, I would simply get suck into her mind.

A month later, my heart was crashed into a million pieces, even though I knew I should be happy for him. Dimitri finally accepted Tasha's offer. They all lived together at Court and their lives were full of a newly found peace I would never get to share with them. It was only then I was able to fully block our bond and never again enter Lissa's head. A little over a year after my death sentence.

It took time, but slowly I had the feeling they were going to make it.

Life took an easy pace. My mother and I became Abe's personal guardians, though he had tons of others. His chief guard was Pavel, who my dad also chose to lead his side investigation on the murderer of the queen. It didn't take long for Pavel to find a lead. Hell, the man was good. But the discovering wasn't.

I had been betrayed.

**Let me know what you guys think! Review, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**For everyone who was curious about the murder****er, here you go. There are some really intense news in Rose's life, hope you like it ;D**

**I love the reviews; keep telling me what you think! They encourage me to write. You have no idea how great it is to read them.**

**Now, enough with the talking. Good reading!**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and a few characters!

3

Rhonda had told me in my last tarot reading that I had an enemy, but I didn't give it much thought. I mean, it was so obvious at the time, since Tatiana was still alive. If not sanctimonious bitch, then who?

At first, I couldn't understand why her. I thought she was, if not a friend, someone decent. Someone that had showed respect for me. What reasons could she have to kill the Queen? She fooled us all.

Tatiana's end began when she somehow found the letters exchanged between Eric Dragomir and this Jane Doe. They discussed a child and expressly stated a Moroi's name – Daniella Ivashkov's name. Apparently, Daniella knew about the illegitimate Dragomir. Eric himself had trusted her with the secrecy so she could look after his unknown child from a far distance were anything to happen to him. That was his mistake. Daniella had been plotting for a long time a way to make her husband King and after Lissa became Princess, she saw all of her plans go down the hill as my best friend gained popularity among the people and the Council. The only thing keeping Lissa from the throne was the same thing that wouldn't allow her to be part of the Council – the quorum. When Tatiana discovered about the other Dragomir, Daniella was doomed. She had to destroy the only other person who knew.

She never liked me. She never approved of my relationship with her son. But she knew that by keeping an eye on me she would be aware of the Dragomir's situation, so she was nice and kept me close, all the while planning to blame me for the Queen's murder. Why? My impulsiveness and public dislike for Tatiana might have been handy, but in reality, Daniella knew I was possibly the only one to help find the last Dragomir and make Lissa Queen. I had to die. So she stole my stake, compulsed the Queen's guardians, killed the woman and put the blame on me.

Pavel unraveled the mystery by tracking the stolen Eric Dragomir file, which contained his letters to Emily Mastrano. The file was found among Tatiana's belongings, indicating that she had been, not surprisingly, the one to steal it. She must have been suspecting something near her end.

When my parents discovered that, I guess they freaked pretty much like I did. Then Abe stormed across seas to get to America and strangle Daniella himself. She was convicted, but never sentenced to death, Royal bitch she was. I felt betrayed, humiliated and immensely stupid for never doubting her niceness. I also got a strong wave of emotion from Lissa when the truth was revealed, but I didn't let myself be pulled into her head. I never knew what the news did to Adrian.

Lissa never became Queen, because by the time we found out about Jill a new King had been voted by the Council and, thankfully, it hadn't been Nathan Ivashkov.

I had the chance to go back to my old life. Should I simply pop up in Court and say "Guess what, folks? I'm alive!"? I didn't think so; they had built lives without me, where I simply didn't belong. I was so confused. In the middle of my personal drama, something horrible happened, something no one was expecting. Abe got a call one morning that would change my life.

I could see he was struggling to keep a straight face as he gave us the news:

"Tad is dead."

It was a Strigoi attack. Tad had been travelling to attend some business for my dad and had dismissed me and taken another guardian with him. I wasn't his personal guardian, but Abe used to send me to these meetings with him all the time. I remembered Dimitri's Ivan and that only helped to worsen my pain. Tad was a close friend, not as close as Lissa, but still a good friend. Losing him was like going through Mason all over again. But worse yet... Abe said Tad was dead, but we never really found the body. I didn't want to think about the other option. I was consumed by guilt and pain until I remembered her. Emel. Everyone was devastated, but I was the first to think about what would be of the little kid. She was only months old. We had the option of sending her to an academy, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I owed Tad this much.

So I stayed.

Ever so slowly, things started to work and a sense of peace, so strange to me until then, became to feel familiar. Or as much peace as we could get, considering my mom and I were a mobster's guardians (believe me, a lot of people wanted him dead) and I had a small child under my care.

Four years after everything had started with that death sentence, I wasn't so sure I was the same person. Emel, my little princess, was a copy of her mother with long locks of dark brown her, but with the same chocolate eyes that were her father's. The unique mix of her parents' traits had made her a mini version of me.

"Ro", she said, still yawning in the early morning. "When will I get a daddy?"

I just looked at her. We were so not having this conversation again.

"I told you so, kiddo, you have a daddy. Only he's in Heaven."

"But he's in Heaven with my first mommy."

"Yes, you're right. They are looking out for you."

"You're my second mommy."

She called me "mom" or "mommy" sometimes and that used to make me feel guilty. She had no memories of her real parents. But dad had convinced me she didn't have to forget her mother and father, even if they only lived in her imagination, in order to love me.

I waited to see where she was trying to get. She had a scheming mind.

"I want a second daddy!" she pleaded with tearful eyes.

"Oh, if it isn't your own reasoning coming to bite you in the ass", said a mocking voice from the open door of the refrigerator.

"Shut it, C. Emel and I do not need any other man in our lives. You alone already gives me enough of a headache."

"And that's why you're sexually frustrated", he said, coming to the kitchen table with an orange juice jar.

I glared at him, while covering my kid's ears with my hands.

"Don't talk like that in front of her!"

I had discovered my brother was a suitable substitute for Christian when it came to snarky comments. Our usual banters lightened the house, that's what my mom said – sarcastically – all the time. Myself, I wish I could punch him in the face every morning. Speaking of Janine, it had been awkward when we started living together, but now I was kind of used to it and our domestic routine.

As if to prove my mental point, she walked into the kitchen with my dad and looked disapprovingly at my plate.

"You can't eat like that, Rose." I was having chocolate glazed donuts, pancakes with syrup and a couple of scrambled eggs. Well, I was hungry this morning. "See what an example you're giving your daughter."

It was moments like this I inwardly thought she had nothing to do with the way I raised my girl. Because she hadn't been there for me. She noticed my sour look and instantly got the message, quickly looking away. I sighed, that was not what I wanted.

"Sorry, mom" I mumbled. Ever since my ultimate death experience I had been trying to act nicer.

She smiled a little at me and resumed her preparations for a sandwich.

The door burst open and one of my very favorite people walked in with a big grin on his face.

"Uncle Mikhail!" Emel shouted, jumping out of my arms to get to him.

He took her in a big hug, embracing her tightly to his chest.

"Mikhail, I didn't know you were in town." I went to give him my own hug, squeezing Emel between our bodies and making her giggle uncontrollably.

"Just arrived this morning" he told me with a smile.

"Isn't it a beautiful family", Abe said jokingly.

Mom smacked his shoulder in a playful way, while Cahil chuckled. I gave my back to Mikhail and my girl in his arms to glare at my inconvenient family.

"You know, Baba's right. You guys kinda match. Wouldn't hurt to give it a try, would it?"

So much for having a big brother. I threw a donut at him, plastering his face with grease.

"Asshole!" I yelled.

Everyone's faces froze for a second, then all of them burst out laughing. I immediately remembered Emel was in the room with us and just wanted to slap myself for that slip. I turned to her with a livid face, not sure what to do. Of course, she did.

"Ro, is an asshole what I think it is?"

I stared back at her, my eyes widening.

"The excretory opening at the end of the alimentary canal?" she complemented to enlighten my sudden moron brains.

The room exploded with laughter, except for me. I didn't know what to say. I swear to you, I had no idea where she took those things from. Sometimes she was so unlike a four-year-old.

"So the great Rosemary Hathaway is rendered speechless", Mikhail stated, but there was something off about the way he said it. He wasn't looking me in the eye and just seemed uncomfortable.

I eyed him suspiciously, but before I could say anything my dad had recovered from his fit of laughing and was talking to me again.

"I trust you remember the opening tonight, kiz?"

I sure did. Not. So I innocently raised my eyebrows and waited for him to elaborate.

He gave an exasperate sigh, because he obviously knew I wouldn't remember, though it still amused him, and started to elucidate me.

"The art gallery? We promised Alev we would go, her paintings will be on display."

Riight. I guess I remembered now, Alev had mentioned it a few times last month. Or a thousand times, that's more like it.

Alev was the daughter of one of dad's childhood friends. They had gone to the same academy (my father at an academy harassing other kids was a recurrent thought in my mind) and never lost contact. I wondered whether it was because Kamer was a mobster as well. Anyway, the guy had moved to Russia, where he got married and had this daughter, Alev. She was a year younger than me and had completely glued to my side from the very first time we met. I sort of liked her when she wasn't exaggeratedly annoying. She was a painter and would be putting her work on display for the first time tonight.

"Of course we'll go, Baba. Oh, and since you're here, you could come along." I turned to Mikhail and thought it would be polite to invite him.

He looked a little hesitant before answering me.

"With you?"

"Yeah, with us."

His face fell in an almost unperceptive way, but I saw it. It was only then it occurred to me that by "you" he might be meaning only me.

However, he agreed to go with us and turned to leave, pecking Emel's cheek, then mine, and promising to be back by eight.

I turned to my family only to find three pairs of knowing eyes.

"What?" I asked slightly irritated.

The things they were implying weren't light and I didn't want to even start thinking of it. Mikhail? He was a friend, that's all. I never considered he could have any other sort of feelings towards me but a fraternal one. I mean... He sure cared about me. He'd been helping me since my time in jail. But he was older and, I don't know, remind me so much of myself when it came to heartbreak experiences. He was probably the only other person who could understand what I had been through with losing the love of my live, though he didn't get the whole rejection drama. Besides, I had it rooted in my being that Mikhail and Sonya Karp were meant to be, even if she was now lost to the Strigoi. It helped me keep whatever love delusion I had left. Mikhail and I? It was insane.

But even if it wasn't, I wasn't sure I was ever going to want a relationship again, because the only one that I wanted was with another woman and his love for me had faded.

Oh, hell, wasn't I a screwed up person.

**What did you think of**** the murderer? And what about Emel? Anyone liked her?**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, ****poor Tad. I liked him, but that was necessary for the purpose of the story. Sorry =/**

**Chapter 4 was fun to write! No reason, really, but I liked it. Oh, answering talkygirl, yes, everyone knows Rose's innocent and her name's clean, but she didn't go back because she felt she didn't have a place there anymore. ****DxRLOVER54321**** asked me to put more details. Anyone has any suggestions, like what kind of detail I should add?**

**Everyone, thank you so much for the kind words. ****They warm my heart ^^**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and a few characters!**  
**

4

I gave the mirror one last look before flying down the stairs in my black cocktail dress. It was simple, but stylish with only one shoulder strap, clinging to my body and stopping mid-thigh. My hair was loose in long waves, the way I liked it, with a diamond flower garnish above my left ear. Completing my look, diamond rings Abe had given me my last birthday and black heals I used every time I had to go somewhere fancy.

I was all alone in the living room with no idea where everybody could be. My father's house was entirely furnished in dark tones of brown that gave off a sober feeling. I noticed a strange wallet whose owner I couldn't identify on the coffee table. It was partially opened, letting me see a piece of paper nearly falling from it.

No one was around. I bit my lip, curiosity taking the best of me, and reached for the wallet. What I saw made my heart clench. The piece of paper was a photograph of a toddler laughing in his mother's arms while a man was behind them and had an arm around her waist. They seemed so happy together, so carefree.

"It was Andre's birthday. Dimitri took that pic."

My heart leapt as it always did by the mention of him. I turned around to face Mikhail. He'd silently walked into the living room and I was too distracted to pay attention to it.

"I didn't know you were close to them. I mean, you obviously are, since you have a picture of Lissa's family and everything." I handed him his wallet, struggling not to blush with the embarrassment of being caught in the act.

"We got closer after you were gone. Lissa wanted to know more of your time in jail." He looked at the photo in his hands. "They seem happy, don't they?"

He said it as if it was something they tried so hard to accomplish. Was he trying to make me feel guilty?

"Yeah, Sparky actually looks cute".

He smiled at me, but it was sad. I tried to hold my tears, because I'd be damned if I Iet anyone see me cry. Mikhail fixed his gaze on me, trying to get a read, but thankfully a squeal took us out of our bubble.

"Ro!" I heard as Emel threw herself in my arms. I picked her up in her sweet baby blue dress and pecked her nose.

"Look who's beautiful tonight. I bet you're going to break a lot of hearts."

She giggled, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

"No, mommy, you are."

My parents and brother decided to show up, after all, just in time to make us charmingly late. Janine had a champagne dress and straightened hair with pearl rings. She looked gorgeous. I think love does that to people.

Cahil drove and I called shotgun. Because Mikhail was with us we were driving the black SUV that would fit us all, since Emel had to go in the baby seat. It was a pleasant drive. My mom was talking quietly with Emel, most likely sharing girls secrets (I would have never believed it if I hadn't seen it myself). The rest of us just talked.

Sometimes I couldn't believe how my parents got me into stuff like these. It was a beautiful buffet and all, but an art gallery opening was simply off my plate. I tried convincing myself that I was only here because I was Abe's guardian, but seriously, who was I fooling? If I ever said no to one of my dad's social events, the mobster might surface and he would simply drag my sorry butt along. Besides, Alev was my friend and I'd told her I'd come.

The room was large and had a high ceiling. Everything was in a golden and sparkling decoration, highlighting the paintings along the walls on both sides. "Mas que nada" by the Black Eyed Peas was playing as waiters in tailored suits served guests. Men looked solemn in their perfect tuxedos and women glittered in expensive dresses.

I was completely out of my element, holding onto Emel's small hand for dear life. My parents and brother had mingled in the crowd and Mikhail had been spotted by a fellow guardian, so it was just my girl and I. Suddenly, I crossed eyes with a red headed woman and her eyes nearly bulged out of her face.

"Rose!" she cried and came running to me, leaving behind a bewildered guest who'd been talking to her.

She hugged me fiercely and then lowered to Emel's level to hug her as well.

"Alev, you look stunning!" I said, genuinely happy to see her. She was wearing this different dress with a fitted black skirt and the upper part loose and imitating a peacock's colors. Her ginger hair was in a stylish bun.

"Why, thank you, but what did you think of my paintings?"

Straight to the point, as usual.

"Uh, they looked... really nice."

"Which one?"

"All of them." I quickly lied.

She sighed. "Have you at least seen any of them? At all?"

I bit my lip, looking at her innocently. "Not really."

She mock-punched me on the shoulder before her eyes brightened with a sharp glint. "You'll have to make it up to me, then."

Before I could say anything else, my eyes caught a glimpse of someone staring at me intently. I turned to see who it was and felt the blood vanish from my face. No, no. We were in Istanbul, what the hell was that man doing here? Stan Alto was looking at me like he'd seen a corpse walk out of the grave. And I guess that was pretty much what it looked like.

Mikhail appeared out of nowhere and immediately noticed something was wrong. He followed my nervous eyes to Stan and understanding blossomed on his face. He marched up to my former teacher, putting a fake smile on, and shook his hand. Stan looked startled, but turned to Mikhail to acknowledge him. I think they knew each other back from the United States. I gave a silent sigh, relieved.

Emel and Alev were curious about my strange and sudden behavior, but I just shook my head. There would be time to explain later.

Before I could make a quiet escape, Stan started to steal glances at me. Suspicious, skeptic and, yes, a little scared glances. I bet he thought if anyone was going to come back from the dead to haunt him, it sure would be me. Hadn't it been for my dread of recognition, it might have been funny.

I had to do something before he decided to overcome his fear and confront me.

They were within ear range, so I turned to Emel and Alev and started to speak in Turkish. In reality, I was letting a string of curse words out of my mouth, unable to stop myself, even if Emel's eyes widened and Alev laughed, shaking her head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stan frown. He knew me as student; back then I hadn't been willing to learn much besides fighting techniques so I failed every attempt to learn a new language. Surely this couldn't be Rose Hathaway – the _deceased_ Rose Hathaway – speaking Turkish right in from of him. Slowly, he seemed to dismiss me as something worth his attention. Stan was probably convincing himself of what a great coincidence it was to find someone who resembled so much the girl who hassled him throughout her school life.

I didn't waste any time and did a quick getaway, pulling both Emel and Alev by their hands with me. I had to thank dad later for forcing me into taking Turkish lessons.

"You never repeat any of those things I said, you hear me, kiddo? I saw someone who really bothered me, but I know that's no excuse."

Emel just nodded, eyes wide. I kneeled in front of her after we exited the room and looked her in her eyes.

"Do you forgive me, baby?"

She threw her small hands around my neck.

"Of course I do, Ro."

I stared warily at the door to the room we'd come from, thinking about Stan Alto in there. I felt a chill run through my body.

Man, that was close.

...

I didn't want to, but I was forced into it, since my mother decided to side with the dark force. After being dragged by my parents to the art gallery, Alev dragged me with her to her celebrating party in a way for me to "make it up to her" and relax from my tense encounter with Alto. I said I couldn't go because of Emel, but my mother, generous soul she was, assured me she would look after her and put her to bed. Cahil pushed Mikhail to go with me, asserting I needed protection (like a guardian needed protection from a guardian) and that was it.

Music was blasting as we walked into the dance club. I was uncomfortable and with an uneasy feeling since the whole Stan Alto situation. Mikhail, who was now rubbing my arms in a soothing manner, had told me Stan left the Academy to guard a Moroi who'd been attending the exhibit.

Alev said something, but I could not pick a single word out of the noise. She rolled her eyes and practically shouted into my ear:

"I have someone I want you to meet."

I flinched at her shouting and turned to her.

"Not sure I'm up to any more stimulating meetings tonight." I shouted back.

She laughed. "Come on! Like a friend of mine could represent any danger to your mysterious character!"

Alev knew nothing about my past before I came to Turkey, but she already knew more about me than most people. She knew I was Abe's daughter and that was something hardly known.

"Ok, but that friend of yours better be harmless."

We both laughed and made our way to the dance floor with Mikhail trailing behind us. The whole place was dark and colored lights twinkled around us, making it impossible to see anything right. Alev led us to the DJ booth where what I thought was a woman, maybe her friend, was talking to a man.

"That's my friend talking to the DJ", Alev told me, confirming my thoughts.

We walked over to them and I noticed the woman was a Moroi. She was wearing a beautiful red dress with a V-neck.

The woman turned around, somehow alerted, even though I was sure she couldn't have heard us with the blasting music.

Then our eyes met and I was flabbergasted with her piercing blue eyes. This couldn't be happing, man, what a shitty life. Twice in a day? What were the odds?

My heart was frozen in its tracks.

"I know I said she was harmless, but she'll fry your ass if you piss her off. Fire user, you know." Alev said like it was news.

With bulging eyes and looking completely dumbstruck, Tasha Ozera was staring right back at me.

**If you like it so far, review****! It lets me know whether you're enjoying and I absolutely love to read what you have to say ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Lots of Tasha for you guys!**

**Thanks for the amazing reviews, I loved them all ;)**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and a few characters!

5

"Rose, this is Tasha Ozera. She used to be my martial arts teacher back in my teenage years when I lived in the States. Tasha, this is Rose Mazur. Abe Mazur's daughter."

Alev shut her mouth, realizing too late the information she let slip, but neither Tasha nor I paid any attention to it. We were staring at each other too intently. She had a look of complete disbelief on her face.

I could feel myself starting to crack inside, knowing that it was too late for anything now, too late to start speaking Turkish like a mad woman. I was so going to beat the crap out of Alev for giving me away. Tasha freaking Ozera (nothing against her personally, but she just fucked me up royally) was looking at me in complete shock, not really believing her eyes. And if Tasha was here… Oh, shit!

"Where is he?" I asked in a dark and controlled tone.

She was in a haze, so my words took a minute to sink in. Then, she got it.

"N-not here" she stammered. "He's in Russia, visiting his family."

I exhaled loudly, not caring what they would think of it.

"You too know each other?" Alev asked, clearly confused.

My look shot daggers at her, but Alev being Alev, she simply ignored me and waited for an answer. I was too fed up to say anything, so I ignored her.

She finally got impatient and grabbed our arms, taking us to the bar. I couldn't believe this was happening.

Alev looked around, looking for someone.

"Damn, where is Mikhail? He shouldn't disappear like this!"

She left in search of him. It was only then I noticed he wasn't with us. Where could he have gone? He was behind us a second ago.

"Rose? Is that really you?"

I turned to Tasha. Great, now Alev let me facing her all alone. I was angry and scared and a lot of other things I could not begin to describe, but none of my feelings seemed as intense as what I was seeing in Tasha's face. She had a look of amazement, incredulity, hope and fear. I didn't know which one was the strongest.

"Rose" Her face was serious, but her eyes were shining with what looked like… tears. "You're not alive, are you? You died so many years ago…" She was ranting now, diverting her gaze from me.

Hell, she'd already seen me. She knew it was me. My best hope was that she was drunk already and would not remember me in the morning. She did seem a little out if, but not enough to ostracize my image from her mind like I wanted. She already knew. Oh, damn.

"It's me, Tasha. And I'm very alive as you can see. You can pinch me if you want."

She turned her head sharply, goggling. She leaned in my direction faster than I thought a Moroi was capable of and pinched me hard on the forearm.

"Ouch! Are you crazy?"

"Oh my god, it's really you! You're alive, Rose, you're alive!" She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. This was so not right.

"Yeah, Tasha, I'm alive, I'm alive." I said, tapping her on the back. "Are you drunk?"

She snorted.

"I'm not drunk. Even though I should be, since the dead decided to come and talk to me."

"I'm not dead." I said angrily.

"Oh, excuse me to think so. The rest of the world is very convinced of it. They saw you being executed four years ago, Rose. Now you appear all alive and happy. Care to tell me what happened?"

"They didn't see me being executed."

"There were witnesses, Rose. Not even your father could have bought the silence of the entire Queen's guard."

"He could have bought only the executioner."

She opened her mouth and closed it again. I smirked to myself and continued:

"I guess you are right to say I was dead on that table. But I woke up hours later in Turkey already."

Tasha had visibly paled, even in the darkened room.

"How?" It was the only word she managed to get out of her mouth.

I thought about the best way to answer that.

"I have a friend amongst the alchemists that deals with substances I'll probably never understand. One of them is supposed to 'kill' the body for a few hours. Well, more of like lowering the vital signs to a point of nearly non-existence. That's what was injected in my vein that day. Then, Abe proceeded to steal my body and bring me here."

I watched her for a reaction. You'd think she was a statue, weren't it for her rapid blinks.

"Breathe, Tasha, just breathe."

She gasped, trembling a little.

"This isn't possible." She said, disbelief clear in her eyes and voice.

"It is, since I'm sitting next to you. Never doubt the Mazur; you'll be in for some big surprises." I smiled softly.

She smiled back at me, a trembling smile full of emotion, and reached for my hand, squeezing it a little. Her smile, then, turned into a frown as she looked at me with incomprehension.

"Why didn't you come back?"

I lowered my eyes. She wouldn't understand my reasons. For the first time, I felt a longing for understanding inside of me. But how could I explain this to her?

"Your name was cleaned, you were free of all charges. You could've come back and become a guardian again."

"I am a guardian. My father's guardian. What else could I want?"

Tasha was enraged by this.

"What else!" She let out, furious. "What about Lissa? What about _Dimitri_, Rose? Do you have any idea what you have done to them?"

"Yes, I do have an idea, because, unlike you, I'm a freak who gets sucked into her best friend's head and feels all of her depressive emotions! What about you ask me what I had to go through instead of throwing at my face the damage I've caused when all I've ever done was put them first!"

I was puffing by the end of my speech, suddenly feeling extremely tired. Tasha was a Moroi, how could she understand? I felt like I was asking a fish how it felt to walk on two legs.

She just stared at me, frozen.

"But Dimitri…"

"Let's not go there; not now, Tasha."

She looked on the verge of insisting, but Alev decided to come back right then.

"Look who I found lost in the midst of the dance floor. And by 'lost', I mean lost, he didn't know where we were and the poor thing was nearly passing out from anxiety." She giggled.

Mikhail approached me from behind and hugged me like he wanted to disappear.

"Please, just take me out of here. It was horrible." He said.

Tasha coughed, calling attention to herself.

"Guardian Tanner. I didn't know you and Rose were still in contact." She said coldly.

He looked from above my shoulder to Tasha, tensing slightly.

"Lady Ozera, always a pleasure. I didn't know you were in Istanbul. Are you accompanied?"

Both Tasha and I got his meaning and I quickly searched for a paper inside my purse. I drafted my father's address on it and handed it to her. I was going for damage reduction now. She eyed the paper with curiosity.

"Be there tomorrow by eight . We'll talk more, then."

She nodded and I got up, but turned to her, remembering one thing.

"Oh, and Tasha, don't talk about me to anyone, please. I'd like to clarify a few things with you before."

She seemed reluctant, but ended up agreeing with me. I said my goodbyes to Alev and headed to the car with Mikhail.

"So, Tasha Ozera. Did you know she'd be here?"

I laughed.

"Of course I did. I invited her and Dimitri to have apple tea, but unfortunately he couldn't make it, so we just had a girl's talk."

"You're so funny"

"Don't I know it."

Right now, I was in one of my darkest moods.

...

The next morning I was anxious. I woke up at six, two hours before Tasha was supposed to arrive. I was nervous, not sure if she'd show up, not sure if she kept her word and didn't talk about me to anyone. I went to the kitchen and fixed me some breakfast, eating more than I normally would.

It was a Sunday, so I was pretty much certain nobody would be up before ten. Lazy Mazurs. It was perfect for me to have a private conversation with Tasha, that is, if she came. I kept pacing until I heard the front door bell ring. I stopped dead, wishing she'd come in and wishing she'd go away. I heard Leyla, the maid, answering the door and I knew that was it. I'd have to face her and let her know why I had to stay.

I walked into Abe's office, waiting for Tasha. Soon after, I heard a knock and took a big breath.

"Come in." I said in my firmest voice.

She walked in and stopped to admire the room. It was small, considering the size of the house, with heavy dark red curtains covering the window. Shelves full of books occupied the entire walls. There was a huge willow desk with two chairs on each side, facing each other. I sat behind the desk, waiting for Tasha to come to me rather than going to her. I nodded towards the vacant chair and she sat in silence.

"What do you want to know?" I finally asked.

"You're the one who asked me to come here. I should be the one making you that question."

Nice, now we were playing the I-can-be-bitchier-than-you treatment.

"Look, Tasha, I'm not here to fight. I just figured, since you know about me, that I should give you reason not to tell on me."

She gave me an angry look.

"Well, that'll have to be some pretty good reason."

I sighed. "Why are you doing this? Is it because of Dimitri?"

She didn't say a word, but the answer was in her eyes. I didn't like it; I would never like the way she cared about him.

I massaged my temples before starting to talk again.

"I've been there. In her head, Tasha. I saw Lissa lose her faith and earn it back. I saw Dimitri fallen on the snow and then I saw you coming to his aid. I'm not a part of that life. They don't need a ghost to come back and haunt them when they finally got some peace."

"That's where you're wrong, Rose" she pleaded with me, completely changing her attitude. "You've been a part of not just their lives, but a part of them. The joy you'd bring – "

"Come with me, Tasha." I interrupted her, already knowing what she was going to say. We needed more privacy than Abe's office could provide.

She embraced her belly in a protective manner and followed me through the door. I took her upstairs, to my white bedroom that was now so different from the first time I woke up in it. I had thrown red, golden and orange tissues around to give it some life, but the view from my window was still the same soothing green infinity of fields.

Tasha entered my bedroom shyly, sitting on the edge of the bed. I made a wide motion with my arms, signaling the entire room to her.

"This is my little bit of peace. Don't you think I deserve it too? I've been through a lot to get here. If I came back, there would only be pain. Because Lissa has a family and it doesn't include me and she'd never forgive me for faking my death. Because Adrian has probably forgotten me and I'm no longer his little dhampir. But specially", I stared straight into her eyes as I said the next words, "because _his_ love has faded."

I saw her move her hand protectively around her belly again. She looked in some sort of pain.

"Are you ill, Tasha?"

She gave me a hesitant look, obviously hiding something.

"What is it? Come on, Tasha, stop trying to fool me, that won't be happening any time soon."

She kept looking at me a little longer until she finally made up her mind. With one deep breath, she let out:

"I'm pregnant."

I felt nauseous and the world swayed around me. I was clearly having a stroke. She rushed to my arm, supporting my weight and said in a hush, stammering on her words:

"It-it's not his. The child. Not Dimitri's, that is."

I sat on the ground, putting my head between my legs. I refused to feel relieved. That crazy woman, what was she saying? Of course the baby was his. They were together, for Heaven's sake!

"If not him, then who's the father?"

I couldn't see her face, since my head was still down. But as the silence lingered, I slowly raised my eyes to see whatever was keeping her from answering. She had a livid expression on and I instantly felt guilty for doing that to her, even though I thought that might be just a sign of her lie.

"A Moroi" she said, putting a blank face on. "He is a Moroi, but that doesn't really matter. What matters is that the child isn't Dimitri's." There was such strength in her words I felt tempted to believer her.

But even if I felt bad I couldn't help the venom that laced my next words.

"What a pity, then. Dimitri must be disappointed. I know how he's always wanted to be a father."

This time, Tasha couldn't hold herself and she grabbed my arms, shaking me lightly.

"Don't you see what you're doing, Rose? Come on!" She was angry again and there was a sorrow in her voice that truly touched me. "Yes, Dimitri wanted kids, but he never wanted them with me and you know why? Because there has always been only one woman for him, Rose, and that is you! You have no idea what it did to him – what it's still doing to him – to think that you're dead!"

"You're lying" I hissed. "Dimitri doesn't care, he hasn't cared in a long time. If he's sorry for my being gone, that's only because of Lissa, because he knows how it affects her."

"Stupid!" she screamed, letting go of my arms in a frustrated gesture. "You're the most stubborn creature on Earth! Why don't you listen to me, why can't you go back?"

"I can't." I said silently.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a little girl in her pink camisole, eyes sleepy and looking for me.

"Mommy? Are you ok? I heard someone shouting and got worried."

I went to her and picked her in my arms, laying her head on my shoulder. I rubbed my hand against her back for comfort, trying to calm her. I purposely ignored Tasha, afraid of what I might see.

"It's okay, baby, I'm fine. No worries. Now, go back to sleep, it's too early for kiddos."

I sang to her and paced the room with her in my arms, just like when she woke up in the middle of the night after having a nightmare. I felt her relax and knew instantly when she felt asleep. Then, I turned to Tasha, not sure if I hid my expectant expression.

She was frozen on the other side of the room, taking in the scene before her eyes.

"Do you see now why I have to stay?"

Tasha looked at me for a few more seconds before saying anything.

"You have a daughter" she stated matter-of-factly. I couldn't bring myself to deny it.

"Who's the father?"

Oh, great. Here we were in for some long story. I just hoped she'd understand, not betray my trust and be more loyal to me than to Dimitri. I felt like laughing now, shitty, shitty life.

**Don't worry, Dimitri is on his way. Keep reviewing, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6, finally :)**

**I know some of you would like me to uptade faster, but it's really hard. I'll follow my steady pace and uptade as much as I can, ok?**

**acr421 asked me how many chapters this is going to be. I really don't know. I'll keep writing and see how it goes. BTW, acr421 guessed something right in one review. Ah, ComradeRochelle19, since the story is told in Rose's POV, the relationship between Tasha and Dimitri remains dubious (I kinda like the mystery), but Rose will have her mind made up about this in the future.**

**Your reviews make my day ;)**

**Good reading, everyone!**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot and a few characters ;)

6

Stan was sitting in front of me with a funeral look on his face. Probably mourning the fact that my own death had been an illusion.

"I never liked you" he told me and I snorted.

"Really? And to think I was tricked into believing in your love." I liked annoying the crap out of him just like good old days. Who said I didn't miss my old life?

He growled and made a motion in my direction, but was stopped by a glare from Tasha.

"Stop acting like children", she ordered us both.

Stan and I kept looking at each other like we could rip each other's head by willpower alone. We'd been going through confrontations like this all the time now.

Tasha rented a house for the month, a nice two-story building near the beach. It was painted in a soft pink that somehow matched Tasha's balance, but was, however, made extremely eerie by one single presence – Stan. Wherever I looked, he'd be there: passing by the window when I looked from outside, standing in the dim kitchen when I wanted a snack, standing behind doors when I changed rooms. He was omnipresent and creepy. And he hated me with passion, but at least I had the satisfaction to know he was scared of me. After all, he'd been one of the witnesses in my execution room and watched me die. Maybe that was why he was following me around – to secure people from my imminent attacks when I tried to eat their brains like a good zombie. I wasn't sure whether he was convinced I was really alive or thought I was just a haunting annoyance. Either way, I was here with Tasha and Stan – her second guardian. Apparently, Tasha was able to ditch him whenever she pleased, just like the time at the dance club.

After seeing Emel, Tasha agreed with keeping secrecy about me, although I could tell she was not very certain of it. In exchange, she wanted to see me as much as she could while she was in Turkey (blessed woman, huh?) and she thought it'd be better if her guardian knew about me. I panicked for a second and then remembered Dimitri was in Russia.

I met Stan the first time I went to her house. I hadn't started to make guesses about who her second guardian could be when he entered her living room like he owned the place. Stan noticed me with a superior look, only to realize a second later who he was actually looking at. Then he fainted.

I swear that must've been one the funniest moments in my life. I laughed my guts out, while a stressed Tasha tried to wake him. She scowled at my laughing, but there was some amusement to it. Tasha gave up and let him lie on the couch, deciding he'd recover his senses on his own. Well, that left just the two of us.

"Do you want anything? Coffee? Water?" she asked.

I shook my head. This was my first time in Tasha's house since we ran into each other at the club two days ago, but I was still uncomfortable and, by the way she was looking at me, so was she. Tasha sat on a chair to my left and we remained in silence. I could see she wanted to say something, so I just waited.

"Rose?" She finally couldn't hold it any longer. "Are you ever going to tell me who Emel's father is?"

I frowned. I had told her Emel wasn't my biological child and I had adopted her after her dad passed away. However, I never said his name. Not on purpose, really, it just didn't come up, and having Tasha asking me that like it was some secrete was just weird. It was the opening I had been expecting for, though.

"I'll tell you if you tell me who your kid's dad is." I was taking advantage of the situation, I know, but my curiosity was greater than my morals.

I saw Tasha blush and close her expression, like something dark was behind her thoughts. I felt guilty, it was wrong for me to be torturing the woman, even if she deserved some punishment for taking Dimitri. Ok, bad thought. I needed to convince myself that she was nice and caring; a good person for him. Right.

I reached for my wallet and took a picture from there before my wandering thoughts could go to not so pleasant places.

"Here" I showed it to her and she took it in her hands, studying it. "That's him. Emel's father." It was a picture of Tad, Emel and I when she was only months old. We were sitting on a bench in the garden at my dad's and I held her in my arms, while Tad had one arm around my waist. We were smiling and a feeling of peaceful happiness seemed to be hanging around us.

Tasha looked at the photo for several moments before turning to me again.

"You loved him a lot, didn't you?" she asked softly.

I smiled in a sad manner.

"Yeah, I did, but not in the way you're thinking. We were really good friends and he had this little girl with no mother. I wanted to help. And when he was gone... " I trailed. She already knew my story with Emel.

My cell phone started to vibrate on my jeans pocket, causing me to jump. I had a new text.

"Who is it?" Tasha asked.

"Mikhail." I answered absentmindedly. He had called me thirteen times since I arrived here, two hours ago. Now he wanted to, once again, know how I was doing. I know he didn't like me to be here with the "enemy", but his behavior kind of bothered me. A lot. We were so going to have a conversation when I got back.

"What is it with you guys?" Tasha asked, annoyed.

What did she have to do with this? It was already strange enough that she wanted to be around me when in Turkey. Like she wanted to make sure I didn't run away.

"I really don't see how this can be any of your business." I answered a little too harshly and she tensed like I had slapped her.

"Very well, then, do whatever you please with your life. You're dead, anyway, as far as everyone knows."

Pure anger boiled inside me and I think I was about to truly slap her, but it was her cell phone's turn to start ringing. Although it was a tune I couldn't recognize, it clearly meant something to her, because her face lit up, then paled, then turned to furious again as she looked at me. Never taking her eyes off me, she answered.

"Hi, Dimka." Her voiced sang cheerfully. "Sorry I didn't call you earlier. I ran into... somebody and lost track of the time."

I gasped. My palms started to sweat. No, no, no. Was she really doing this? Oh, god, it was him. There, on the other side of the line. Dimitri. No, no, no. So close, yet so distant. I wish I could reach out to him.

"An old friend." Tasha said to an obvious question about who she had ran into. I gulped. I could still see the fury in her eyes, thought now hazed by some wariness. She was going to give me way.

Suddenly she giggled, catching me off guard.

"No, no former lover, I swear."

I saw the red of jealousy take over my sight as I was about to pry the phone off her fingers and damn him to hell.

"Okay, then. I promise not to go such a long time without calling you again. I'll see you soon. Bye."

She hung up and looked at me with caution, waiting for a reaction. Despite her outer blankness, I could see she was actually satisfied with something. Dirty bitch.

"I have to go." I said in an outburst and got up, heading for the door. This was clearly not what she was expecting. She came after me, reaching for my wrist in an attempt to stop me.

We were on the porch and it was dark and cold outside. High up in the sky the moon shined in her full glory surrounded by a million twinkling stars. It would have been a beautiful night, hadn't it been for my sour mood.

"What are you doing, Rose?" Tasha half yelled.

"Oh, really, Tasha, do you think I'd just stand in there, listening to you sweetly talk to your lover and everything would be just fine?"

The look she gave me was deadly.

"He's not my lover. He's my guardian and, therefore, he needs to care about my safety. Put it in your head: we're not together."

I took a deep breath and shook my wrist out of her grip.

The nausea hit me abruptly. I frantically looked around, sure of what I'd find. Only I didn't. There was only the beach near the house, no neighbors. Also a few bushes and the road and trees in the distance. Strigoi. I couldn't see them, but they were here, hiding.

I pushed Tasha inside and came in quickly after her, locking the door. I went to the window and looked outside. Still nothing.

"What?" Tasha asked in a whisper, confused and scared of my change of demeanor.

"Shhh." I waited a little longer by the window, but there was nothing to be seen. Slowly, the nausea started to fade until there was no more of it. They were gone. This was too strange.

"Strigoi" I explained, turning to an anxious Tasha. "They are gone now, but I'd wake up your guardian just in case." I nodded towards Stan, who was still unconscious.

"How can you tell?" She was skeptic, but still afraid, so I just shook my head. I wouldn't bother to explain and she was scared enough to be cautions anyway.

This time, Stan woke up when his Moroi gently shook his shoulders. Bad luck for him, I was the very first thing his eyes laid on when they opened and he nearly passed out again.

I sat on a chair across from his place on the couch, amazed by his fear, though my mind couldn't let go of the incident with the Strigoi.

They had to be lurking around. And this was no good.

**And that was it! Dimitri's first appearance, sort of. Next chapter hopefully will be longer (and more interesting). Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Soooo. I really want to know your reaction to this chapter. I decided it was time to shake things up.**

**Thank you for the reviews, I love them!**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual!

7

There was no place in the world like my bed – man, if there's one thing I love doing in this life it is to sleep. But tonight I'd been restless since I put my head on the pillow. The prospective of a horrible morning was starting to piss me off. I'd been kind of fidgety the last few days.

My eyelids were heavy and my yawns were becoming more and more frequent, but, still, no sleep. It was almost like I was energized. Well, come to think of it, I probably was. It had been two weeks since the Strigoi incident at Tasha's and I hadn't felt them anymore. I felt anxious, because, although wandering and lone Strigoi were quite common, they weren't known for leaving Moroi alone when there was a chance to get them. That day we should've been attacked.

Besides, there was also the fact that my parents had travelled along with my brother to attend family business and only Mikhail, Emel and I were at home. Mikhail didn't usually stay at our house, but we thought it'd be better having someone around in case anything happened. I was still annoyed by Mikhail's over protectiveness, but he would never listen to me and would dismiss my arguments, saying my kid and I needed to be taken care of. I loathed that. Those were moments of hatred towards Mikhail, poor him.

But the important thing now is that I couldn't sleep. I rolled over and over and still nothing. Finally, I think I passed out from exhaustion.

Even in my sleep, I was antsy. Those feelings invading me... were alien. It didn't feel like me, but it was somehow a familiar sensation.

I was dreaming of a huge and solemn room with a high ceiling and dhampirs in black suits and blank faces along the walls. Guardians. Nice topic for a dream, ha. I was furious, I was morose and I wanted to kill the first idiot who crossed my way. _The darkness is starting to get to me_. That's what was on my mind, but it made no sense.

I woke up sweaty and confused. What...? Oh, man. I'd just been in Lissa's head. How did that happen? I always had my walls in check; I wasn't vulnerable to her emotions any longer. That hadn't happened in a very, very long time. I didn't even know how it felt to be in someone else's head anymore.

I sat down, crossing my legs and thinking. I didn't want to go back to her head and it had less to do with my getting involved with her life than with the real reason. During my quick visit, I could feel Lissa wasn't her own self; she was being consumed by darkness, but there wasn't a specific cause to it. The entire week she'd been having this inkling something big was going to happen. Maybe another Spirit effect?

Well, at least that explained my restlessness.

I shook my head and decided to sleep again. It had nothing to do with me, after all; not any longer.

Something was ripping inside of me, it was the only explanation as I woke up screaming from pain. Suddenly, I was blind. There was only blackness around me, inside of me, and I wanted to kill and die. What the fuck! I felt my knees contact with the floor and I was crawling and sobbing.

"Lissa, no! Calm down, calm down!"

Strong arms enveloped me, but I struggled out of their embrace.

"Liar!" she cried. My blurred vision came back, poorly focusing on a tall figure in front of me. Her. Us.

Hell, I didn't know who I was any longer!

"Take it easy, Lissa, we don't know –"

"He's lying, Christian, he can't get away with that!"

"Princess, I swear this is the truth. If you wish, I can contact my source –".

"Shut your damn mouth or I'll do it for you!"

The guardian in front of her seemed surprised, though definitely not afraid, but obeyed her. It was a tall man, probably in his early thirties, and, for once, his face wasn't blank. He looked bothered, like he didn't want to deliver whatever news he had to, but he was doing it anyway because it was his job.

Lissa fell into Christian's arms, shaking and sobbing and feeling a pain so deep it was physical. I was suffering with her, willing the pain to be over, although I had no idea what was happening. Something terribly wrong... With Adrian, perhaps? My limbs went numb with fear. No, Adrian would always be very well protected, I tried to calm myself.

"Leave." Lissa ordered and the guardian left, leaving her alone with Christian. "This is crazy! Impossible!" she cried among whimpers.

Christian said nothing and that made her look up to his face. He was troubled and clearly in pain.

"Do you believe in miracles?" he asked.

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to prevent any more tears to escape.

"I wish I did."

Soon, she drifted off to sleep and I was back in my own body. It was still night, but I was very awake now. Lissa got me worried, really, really worried. Even though I wasn't a part of her life, she would forever be one of the most important people in mine, and I couldn't handle having her in such a state. Something horrible must have happened and my hands were completely tied. I was in the other side of the world and... oh, well, dead. Damn! For the first time ever, I wished she knew I was alive, that she could still count on me and that I'd do anything to make it better.

Feeling utterly useless, I got up and changed. I needed to chill out and breakfast would be perfect for it. Food was always a great comforter.

I lost track of the time sitting at the kitchen table. I was debating internally whether I should go back into Lissa's head. I knew there was little I could do in my situation, whatever the problem was, but I wanted to, at least, be aware of what distressed her. Maybe I could feel I was listening to her and pretend she was confiding her problems to me, like I was helping somehow.

The sun was already setting and a new day beginning when I heard the front door slam. I was alerted, but didn't take more than a second to recognize Mikhail's heavy steps.

He was flushed when he entered the kitchen, with an urgent face and surrounded by a sense of hurry.

"What is it, Mikhail?" I asked in fake boredom. "I have people to torment, so, unless you want to be one of them, do not waste my precious time." I said with a smile, thinking of Stan.

Mikhail didn't find it funny. Instead, he fixed me a serious stare that made me feel uncomfortable.

"Did you hear?" He asked obscurely.

"Hear what? It's too early for anything to have happened, so stop being so cryptic and tell me!"

He sighed and closed his eyes, massaging his temples before continuing.

"They know."

I looked at him, not grasping the situation.

"What are you talking about?"

"Rose" he said coming to me and putting his hands on my cheeks. He was measuring his moves, like I was some wild animal and he couldn't foresee my reaction. "

"Somebody informed Court about an occurrence near the outskirts of Istanbul."

That immediately sparked my attention. Maybe someone had information on the Strigoi incident. Maybe a group of the undead had been caught or guardians had run into them. Anything would be of help and I found myself anxious to hear the rest.

Mikhail's eyes diverted from mine as he continued:

"It was reported that a young woman, early twenties, was seen in the first days of the month. Her physical description and aged matched yours."

Oh.

"That doesn't mean anything. How many dark haired, dark eyed girls do you think there are out there?"

His eyes bored into mine again and I felt whatever he was going to say was going to be bad.

"The informer stated a name. He was very specific when he told the authorities in Court he'd seen you – Rose Hathaway."

I blinked, unable to move any muscles other than my eyelids. The impact of what Mikhail was telling me came in a rush, making me feel like the air had completely left my lungs. I got up, startling Mikhail and punched the counter with so much force I heard something in my hand crack. But the pain didn't stop me and I punched it one, two, three times, so many times I lost count. When I was done, puffing for the exertion, I let out a scream with all my frustration. Shit, I had to control myself. I bit the skin on the back of my hand not too hard, but long enough to cool off and leave a mark.

"Okay" I said in a quivering voice. "Who is the bastard?"

Mikhail had a cautious expression on and, I noticed, he was keeping a safe distance from me.

"What bastard?" he asked warily.

I growled, narrowing my eyes at his stupidity.

"The bastard that gave me away."

"I don't know, Rose, it probably was an anonymous source. That kind of thing is confidential. The only reason I'm aware they've been informed of your whereabouts is because the guardians knew I was spending my vacation here and called me to check the veracity of the information."

I thought about that.

"Does it mean that if you tell them it was all fake they'll leave me alone?"

He smiled sadly at me.

"Not likely, Rose. Somebody out there knows about you and we have no idea what kind of proof he or she might have. We don't even know who it is."

Oh, Mikhail didn't, but I most certainly did.

I marched out of the house with angry steps, not looking back at Mikhail. I had no idea if I could control myself when I got there.

Two weeks, three days and sixteen hours – that was the time that had passed since I ran into Tasha at the dance club. And today I was going to kill her.

God, I was fuming.

Mainly at me, because, seriously, how could I have been so stupid?

I didn't pay attention to where my feet were taking me, they already knew the way and I had too much on my mind. I was the reason behind Lissa's pain. She was suffering because she'd heard the rumors and she couldn't believe in such a miracle. I started crying without even realizing it. I only brought pain for everyone else.

I saw the beach and my pace increased. My vision was blurry, I didn't know if because of the tears or the all consuming rage I was feeling.

I knocked on the door with as much control as I could muster. It opened to a surprised Stan, but I saw his face turn into a mocking smile before he allowed me entrance. Hell, his nose would have to wait, I'd punch it later.

"Rose!" Tasha's screechy voice got to my ears, making me turn in her direction. "Oh my God, Mikhail just called, I was so worried. There's something I need to tell–"

I flew at her neck, making us both fall to the ground. She certainly wasn't expecting my wild reaction, which gave me time to throw a few random punches. I wasn't aiming at anything, I just wanted to give her the same consideration I had for my punching bag. But Tasha wasn't a martial arts teacher for nothing. She had strength. She grabbed my hair and pushed me to the side, giving Stan the perfect chance to grab me in a headlock. I kept kicking, but it was of no avail. He was bigger and stronger than me.

"What the fuck, Rose!" Tasha yelled, her eyes blazing from the fight.

"You filthy bitch! I trusted you! I thought you were my friend!"

"Shut the fuck up, Hathaway, or I'll have to hurt you!"

"Come on, Stan, no need to threaten the girl." Tasha said, regaining her composure. I could barely breathe with Stan's arm pressing against my trachea, let alone speak.

"Stan, let go of her." Tasha ordered him. He didn't make a move. "Stan! I'm sure she won't try anything harsh, right, Rose?"

I nodded the best way I could and Stan let go of me. My intake of breath was sharp and deep as I tried to steady my legs on the ground.

"Now, Rose, there's something I need to tell you."

The nerve! Was she really that audacious?

"How could you do that to me? I thought you understood, I thought you cared about Emel! You're just a traitor that couldn't care less about other people's lives!"

She flinched and, oh, what a satisfaction I took from that.

"What are you saying, Rose? I'd never–"

"You'd never betray me? Is that so?" I asked sarcastically. "Then why is it my name and whereabouts are the hottest topic back at Court right now?"

She looked horrified.

"I would never do that! I gave you my word! But if you are going to keep offending me, I suggest you get out of my house!" she yelled.

No, I couldn't. We had issues to solve here. The boiling anger that made me violent was starting to fade, making me realize I'd have to restrain myself if I wanted to talk to her.

"You had something to tell me." I said in a dark tone.

Tasha blinked, not expecting me to suddenly sound so civilized. She shook her head and concern took her features.

"You're not going to like it." she told me.

"I already don't."

"Listen, I have no idea how it happened, but whoever told on you didn't call Court first."

I waited for her to continue, but she simply kept looking at me. Then, I got it.

"Shit!" I hissed. "I can't believe you did this to me!"

She snorted.

"I didn't, I –"

I had my back to the front door, but I heard when it slammed and someone ran into the room with hurried and heavy steps.

"Tasha? Tasha, let's go, we don't have much time."

That deep voice crept into my very bones as the aftershave scent consumed me like fire spreading all over my body. My heart came to a halt. I was sure I was dying any second now. I could feel my body starting to melt. Time didn't exist in those excruciating seconds. I couldn't move.

Tasha's eyes darted from me to a point behind my back – _him_. I could feel his eyes burning a hole on the nape of my neck. God help me, I didn't want to look, because, if I did, I'd never want to let go.

There was no place to run now.

**I kindly ask you, dear reader, to please tell me what you think. I write for you and, therefore, I need to know if you like it so far or if I'm messing this up. So review, please! It will make my day ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm speechless, really. I completely melted with your reviews. Thank you so, so much! ****A special thank you to the amazing _CandiGal_, who kindly offered to beta my story!**

**Now... I hope I don't disappoint you. Good reading, everyone!**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual!

8

No one dared to speak a word. I mentally ordered my feet to move, but they wouldn't obey me. _Never hesitate_. A hand was laid upon my shoulder. It instantly made me feverish and I knew it was too late. The hand gently pulled my body, but I refused to turn around. I was frightened like a toddler who didn't want to face punishment. Because I had done bad, bad things, and a certain Russian would never forgive me for those _things_. The hand pulled me harder, but on principle, and due to sheer cowardice, I stayed still. Finally, he lost his patience and pulled me with enough strength for me to lose my balance.

I would have closed my eyes not to look at him, but the moment I caught sight of those endless chocolate pools, I was lost.

Dimitri's eyes widened and he gasped loudly before his breathing became ragged.

He hadn't aged a day. I couldn't turn away from the Russian God that stood before me like he couldn't decide if I was a living dream – or a nightmare. Dimitri's expression was pained, tortured, hopeful and so many other things that were making my guts do flip-flops. My heart beat increased dramatically. Just to look at him. I had spent far too long without such a perfect form of beauty. Right now, I found myself unable to look away from my reflection mirrored in his eyes. His teary eyes, deep enough to drown in. I was being ripped by bliss and fear. Those two emotions made me want to cry and run. Just his eyes jailed me, locking my body in place. Unable to flee.

His breathing was so excruciatingly forced I thought he was going to pass out any minute. Instead, he gripped my arms so hard it would definitely leave a bruised pattern of his fingers. I couldn't care less. It was his skin on my skin. I was sure I was going to die from euphoria.

We said nothing, did nothing. We simply stared into each other's eyes, drinking in each other's selves. In a way, it was fiercer than a kiss, more intimate than sex, because it was his soul marking mine once again. Dimitri was looking at me like he had when I met him in his cell. The first time after he was turned back into a dhampir – like I was his goddess. Like there was no other woman, no other person, in his world.

I saw my reflection again in his eyes and whimpered. Unwelcome memories of unkept promises filled me as silent tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew he didn't love me any longer. But then, why did he have to look at me like that? Had his punishment already started?

"I..." he muttered, the first tear falling from his left eye.

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I called you, Belikov."

Our charm was broken by the sound of a snort. I struggled to drag my eyes from his, though Dimitri seemed desperate to keep me with him. I slowly turned to the source of my problems.

"You _what_, Stan?"

He was too satisfied with himself for my taste.

"Look at me, now!" Dimitri ordered, a deep voice with a heavy Russian accent, and all I could do was obey.

I was staring again at the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. He was growing more and more distressed by the minute. His breathing hadn't improved and he seemed on the verge of losing control.

"Are you a lie?" he asked, shaking me lightly.

I blinked in shock; his words were not making sense.

"Are you?" Dimitri asked again, raising his voice. "I have to know if you're real or a product of my imagination. I've wanted that... Dreamed that too many times to trust myself now. Are you real? Are you!" he screamed, demanding for the truth. I discovered his little outburst had taken from me whatever guts I had left.

"See for yourself, Comrade." I whispered, weakened.

He launched himself at me with the desperation of a drowning man in search for air. He kissed me with such force I was thrown against the wall. I was crying, kissing him back, pulling him against my body. I tasted my blood, mingled with his. We had bit ourselves in the middle of pulling his body against my own. Trying to satisfy our insatiate hunger. That made him pull back. Dimitri looked like a lost child with huge, unbelieving eyes.

Then he was yanked from me and tumbled to the ground.

"You're just as bad as that devil, aren't you, Belikov?" Stan was yelling at us, losing his composure. I risked a look at Tasha. She was standing against the window with shock all over her face. Stan continued: "She faked her own death! We're supposed to deliver her to Court!"

I kicked his balls with no warning, making him fall and twist in pain.

"It was you! Jerk! I can't believe I didn't see it coming!_"_

I was blaming poor Tasha when all along the fucking traitor was Stan! How could I have not thought about him?

I advanced towards him, but he recovered faster than I had intended him to. Stan sprinted to the door and I flew right after him. I was going to give him hell, just for the simple fact of his existence! That was enough cause, in and of itself.

I heard shouts from behind me, but I was too focused on catching one bastard.

Stan must have been mentally impaired, because he ran straight to the little harbor at the end of the beach. I didn't even bother to run too fast, knowing perfectly well he'd be cornered when he got there. Just like I had predicted, there was no place to go. He looked from me to see behind his back, weighing his options. I must repeat – mentally impaired. Stan jumped into the water, probably thinking he'd get away that way. I guess he thought that that was the safest route. How wrong he was. I dived right in after him and it didn't take me five strokes until I reached him.

I started punching him right there, half drowning him in the process. Sparring in water isn't one of the easiest things to do. When you have the right motive, it will make due, just fine. We had no balance; our legs tangled, our hands and wrists fought as we struggled not to submerge. I punched his jaw in one swift motion and, suddenly, there was no Stan. I moved frantically around in the water, just in time to see a figure sinking.

_Shit._

I dove after him and rescued his slack body from drowning. I was coughing when I reached the surface, amazingly pissed the man couldn't even put up a fight. That had to be my good action for the decade. Saving Stan Alto from his imminent death when all I wanted to do was killing him myself.

Dimitri was in the water as well. He wordlessly took Stan's body from me, then swam with him towards the beach.

I found myself in the water, alone, looking at the back of the man whom I loved.

What the hell had just happened?

I wasn't referring to Stan, no. I always knew he was an asshole. But Dimitri... He kissed me. My fingers brushed my still swollen lips, remembering the feeling. He'd be there at the beach, waiting for me, and he'd want to talk. I started to smile, but thought better of it, then halted that action. Dimitri... had... kissed me? Why would he do that, when he'd been very clear about his repulsion towards me? Unless he had... _lied_? That realization and the cold from the water made me numb.

So the only way for Dimitri to admit his feelings was my death? Like the time he slept with me in the cabin – and, back then, it had only been a possibility. Now that he actually felt what it was like to lose me he decided he couldn't let go?

I never realized how he took me for granted. Had he ever loved me?

I was the one constant thing in his life. No matter what shit happened, I'd always be there to pester him, to caress his ego. This thought should have angered me, but it didn't. It made me feel sad, so deeply sad.

I shook my head and started swimming towards the other end of the beach. The one closer to Tasha's house. She was there, standing on the sand, when I got out of the water, completely soaked.

"Rose, are you ok?" she asked, face wrinkled in concern.

I sighed. I was covered in water, salt, sweat and blood, but it was not what mattered.

"Tasha, I'm sorry I was a bitch."

She gave me a small smile.

"You're just too pigheaded." That made me grimace. "I told you I wouldn't betray you. At least, I guess I'll have some credit with you in the future."

It was my turn to smile. "Definitely."

Someone shouted in the distance and we both turned to look. Dimitri had left an unconscious Stan laying on the sand. He was jogging in our direction. I remembered his lips, his touch, and felt the heat as it crept my face.

"Take me out of here" I murmured so only Tasha could hear me.

She cast me a side look. "Rose, you two need to talk–"

"I know, but not right now. I need to think."

She was going to say something, but I cut her off.

"If you ever wish to have some credit with me, just take me out of here. I'll talk to him, I promise, but I need to prepare myself first."

She thought about it for a few seconds before taking my hand. We started walking, Tasha pulling me with her in the direction of her house. I heard Dimitri calling my name, but we didn't stop. We went into her house and she led me upstairs to a bedroom, I'd guess was hers. It was finely furnished in beige tones with a small bed in the middle of it. There was a huge mirror on the opposite side of the room.

"You have twenty minutes" she told me.

"What? That's not what I meant when I asked you to get me out of there!"

"Sorry" she said with a wry smile, "but I also have got to have credits with him."

Tasha spun around on her heel and left the room. She didn't bother to lock the door. I must say if she had done that, I'd probably snuck out of the window. But I stayed.

I knew Dimitri and I had to talk, it was just...

My earlier realization about his feelings for me had left me depressed. He'd always been like a fairy tale prince to me, however I knew better. My years in Istanbul being a guardian, living with my family, taking on the role of raising a daughter had taught me that fairy tales didn't exist. Life was all about deception.

Still, we needed to talk, and I knew now was as good as time as any.

When twenty minutes had passed, I heard a knock on the door. I gulped. He entered without asking for permission. Dimitri just stood there, wet and tasty, taking in the sight of me.

The love of my life.

"Roza?" he asked me timidly. There was the lost boy, again. I melted.

I don't know if he saw something in my eyes or if he just couldn't hold himself, but next thing I knew I was in his arms. There was something about him that made me completely vulnerable. Dimitri held me tightly to him, burying his nose in my hair.

"Oh, god." He was sobbing, "I can't believe it's really you. I wanted so much..." He stopped, taking in my scent, as I took in his.

He looked at me as I traced the tears that were falling from his eyes with my thumb.

"It's you" he said with a shaky smile.

"It's me" I said, but didn't smile back.

"What... What happened, Rose? All that time? Why weren't you with us?" There were so many ways I could have answered that, but as I looked at him, I realized it was all summed up in one: I was afraid. Especially of him not loving me. And now, of him being attached to me for the wrong reasons.

"Tell me, Dimitri, what happens to loves that fade?" He tensed and looked at me with an expectant expression.

"Tell me" I ordered. My tone was dead serious. I expected him to take a step back, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled tighter against him.

"You want me to say that I lied? You want me to know the hurt that I caused you? You want me to feel guilty? Suffer a tenth of what you suffered?"

I stared at him with a rigid face, trying not to let him see my feelings. Even now, he read me like a book.

"I can't deny any of your accusations, but you already know it." I did. And a sick part of me wanted him to suffer just like I suffered.

"I lived in hell, believing I'd never see your face, your beautiful face," He traced my cheeks with the tips of his fingers, making me shiver. "And you still think I deserve punishment?" He wasn't crying any longer, but his voice trembled and his touches were shaky as he looked at my lips. "My life was a limbo without you. I couldn't feel." Dimitri's eyes turned back to mine. Determination filled them. "So, if you think I should pay for the things I did to you, then do it. I'd rather be in pain with you by my side than feel nothing without you."

He closed the distance between our faces, coming only inches from my lips.

"Punish me," he said. He lowered his face to my neck, rubbing his nose along the smooth skin that lay there. His hands went to my waist as he pulled me to him, gluing our bodies together.

"Punish me" he said in my ear. He kissed my neck. Moving upwards, he reached my ear, gently giving it a bite.

"Punish me" he repeated. One of his legs came between mine as his hands drew slow, firm circles on my waist.

"Punish me, as you wish" his voice was purring along my skin. The warmth of his breath was sending visible shivers throughout my entire body. _God_, he was torturing me! My mind didn't agree with my body. He had misled me. I couldn't just simply give in! I felt so... powerless. I loved him so, so much. I could feel my every pore yearning for him.

Dimitri kissed my temples, my cheeks. Then finally, very sweetly, my lips, before touching his forehead to mine.

"You can punish me every way you want or think of. Although I could give you a few suggestions on how to _deal_ with me. If you need any help." His eyes locked with mine. I knew, looking into his endless brown ones, I was lost. "But you're not going anywhere."

Then, he kissed me with the passion of a man with no tomorrow.

**Review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys, thanks for the amazing reviews and _CandiGal _for the help! I decided to uptade a day before what I had planned because tomorrow is my birthday (:D) and I wouldn't have the time. So it turned out not as long as I wanted it to be. Hope you like it!**

**I have another story called "Out of Control". For those of you who haven't read it, check it out. I'm considering making it more than a one-shot.**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual

9

A car honked outside and that instantly brought me back to reality. I roughly pushed Dimitri away from me, panting from our entire make out session. That man would be the end of me, I was sure of that now.

Dimitri looked at me with pain and longing in his eyes. I stared back, probably mirroring the same feelings, though I'd be damned if I let him touch me again right now.

He took a step forward, but I stopped him, putting a hand out in a sign for him not to come any closer. Smart boy, he just stood there like he wanted to do anything but.

"You had no right to do that," I said with a hoarse voice. "You took advantage of me."

That made him smirk.

"You seemed to be taking all the advantage you could of me as well."

I looked at him darkly in what was my version of a death glare. That was one look that had grown soberer throughout the years. As I was expecting, Dimitri wasn't immune to it, and he shrank a bit under my gaze. I'd like to think from fear, but that was probably because I didn't look like I wanted to shag him on the spot any longer. And that hurt his feelings, poor boy.

"Rose!" A man's voice shouted from downstairs.

The voice called me again, and I moved to the door, but before I could reach the doorknob, Dimitri grabbed my arm.

"You don't know who it is."

_A thousand ways to piss Rose Hathaway off_, by Dimitri Belikov. That should be his book.

"Of course I know who it is. Now, let go of my arm, or I'll have to kick your balls just like I did Stan."

Clearly fearing for his manhood – I wish – he let me go without a word. I ran down the stairs in search for my seeker. His being here could only mean my parents were back from the trip, and that would be the best news in my day. I desperately needed my father's advice.

Dimitri was right behind me on my heels, but I didn't have time for him. I was running to find my brother.

I ran to Tasha's living room, coming to a halt as I entered it.

"Mommy!" Emel shouted as soon as she saw me.

She jumped out of Cahil's arms, and I kneeled on the floor, giving her a better access of my arms. She hugged me tightly against her small body, burying her little nose in my neck.

"I woke up, and uncle Mikhail was nervous. He didn't tell me where you were, and I got nervous too. Then grandpa and granny came. They didn't know where you were either, and I got so nervous, but uncle Cahil told me he'd bring me to you and he did, mommy, he did. I was so scared."

Poor little princess, she was suffering because of me.

I looked up at my brother with grateful eyes. He just smiled in response.

"Mikhail told me you had come here and Emel was pretty desperate to see you, so I brought her along. Now," his face turned serious, "will you explain to me what is happening? Mikhail looked like he was on the verge of having a heart attack and you know how our father gets when doesn't know what is happening."

I could only imagine the mess our house was in right now. Janine and Abe were probably giving Mikhail hell, interrogating him and all, but Mikhail wouldn't know half the things that happened to me in the last few hours. I had to get back home.

Somebody coughed and it was Tasha. She had her eyes glued to Cahil and she seemed to appreciate what she was seeing.

"Mommy," Emel whispered in my ear, a little frightened. "Why is it there's a big giant staring at us?"

I pulled back a little bit, so I could get a better look of her face. She was staring wide eyed at a point behind my back. Shit, I had totally forgotten about him.

"Hmm," I got up from my crouched position, and turned so I could be looking at everyone, Dimitri included. He was the perfect statue with a guardian mask on and perfect immobility. The only movement came from his darting eyes between me and Emel. I knew what he was thinking. She was the spitting image of me, even if it was no more than a trick of fate. And, of course, the fact she had just called me mommy twice would only help his inevitable conclusion.

"Dimitri," I said, deciding it would be better to get this over with sooner than later. "This is Emel. She's my–"

"Daughter," he finished my sentence, his lips forming a tight line.

"Uh, yeah," I said, somewhat uncomfortable, "Emel, this is Dimitri, he's an old friend." Dimitri shot me a look that wasn't completely friendly. "Say 'hi' to him, Emel."

She waved her small hand with a faltering smile, half hiding her tiny body behind my legs.

"Hello, Mr. Giant," she said in small voice.

Tasha tried to stifle her giggle, but Cahil laughed outright. He offered his hand to Dimitri.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Giant. If you'd give me the privilege of knowing your name?" he asked.

Dimitri didn't move, nor acknowledged my brother. Cahil still waited a few more seconds with his hand out, but it was clear he wasn't getting anything from the other man.

"Are you the girl's father?" Dimitri asked in a tight voice. I got the feeling he was about to snap and I didn't like the fact he was most likely targeting my innocent brother.

"What?" Cahil asked in confusion.

Emel got the meaning in Dimitri's words before her uncle and that was something to be said about my girl's smartness – or Cahil's lack of it.

"Eewww," she said in disgust. "Uncle Cahil _can't_ be my dad! He's Ro's _brother_!"

Dimitri looked from me to my brother. The similarity was evident, since we both resembled our father much more than we did our respective mothers. Cahil was tall like any Moroi and his skin tone was some sort of grayish like our dad's. As if he hadn't been in the sun for some long time (which was true), but we had the same lines in our faces, the same hair and the same shape of the eye. We clearly were siblings.

I had the satisfaction to see Dimitri looking embarrassed.

"I just thought... " he started, but Cahil interrupted him.

"Well, I get the feeling you think a lot, but nothing good comes out of it," my brother said. Oh, he was irritated now. "Come on, Rose, we should get going."

"Wait," Tasha urged. She looked embarrassed. "Uh, well, I just wondered... Aren't you going to introduce us, Rose?"

Smooth. I gave her a knowing smile that had the effect of making her blush.

"Of course I will, Tasha," My voice was affected enough that even Emel shot me a strange look. "This here is my brother, Cahil. Handsome, huh?" I raised my brows, indicating him to her. She was turning purple from shame. "And more important, he's _single_," That earned me a huge grin from Dimitri, while Tasha looked like she wanted to bury her head under the earth.

"Uh, yeah, I am," Cahil looked at me awkwardly, like I was some alien."We really should get going now. Dad and Janine must be freaking out. And you didn't tell me whatever happened either, so I say you better have one hell of an explanation when we get home, young lady."

I took Emel by the hand, readying us to go. That seemed to wake Dimitri up to what was happening.

"No, Rose, you can't go without m–"

"Comrade," I said, stopping him in his tracks. "Really, I need to go home and I have to go without you. There's a lot to discuss with my parents."

He was about to argue, but I added: "Please."

He sighed, defeated.

"When do I see you again?" Dimitri seemed a little desperate, but I wasn't going to point that out.

I thought about it. There was also a lot to discuss with Dimitri, like the Emel's father topic I was sure he was going to ask.

"Tomorrow is my mother's birthday. We are going to have a small get together in the evening, nothing big, but you are both invited."

"Tomorrow evening? That's too long, I can't–"

"Take it or leave it, Comrade."

He didn't like it, it was clear on every line of his face, but he silently agreed with a nod.

"Bye, Mr. Giant," Emel said with another of her mesmerizing smiles.

Dimitri could not resist her charm. His sulking features softened, as he smiled back at her.

"Bye, sweetheart."

Suddenly, I remembered there was someone missing.

"Where's Stan?" I was magically pissed by the simple memory of him.

Dimitri and Tasha exchanged a look.

"Laying on the sand, most likely," Tasha shrugged. "Still unconscious, hopefully."

Good to know we all felt the same about him.

Cahil, Emel, and I left soon after, my heart clenched in my chest. Really, I had no idea what to do about Dimitri. I didn't know if I thought he deserved me. But, then, maybe it was just like what he'd told me, maybe it was the evil part of me that wanted to punish him. And there was also Emel. He might have been kind to her, but it didn't mean he accepted her, not when she was supposedly my daughter with another man. I wondered if Dimitri and I still had that connection.

I climbed into the car, sighing to myself. I was on my way to Abe, and that was the best news of my day. 'Cause, other than my screwed up love life, I had more impending problems; like a crazy guardian who wanted to deliver me to Court. And I might not have actually committed the crime I'd been arrested for, but let's not forget about faking my own death, which wasn't exactly legal.

My life was about to become even more entertaining.

**Dimitri and Emel. What do you think? **

**Review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Your reviews make me smile :) Thanks for the happy birthday wishes. It was great!**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

10

"He's a dead man," my father stated as if reading the newspaper forecast, "Stan Alto, that's the name?"

I could hear the underlying tension in his voice, even though he was trying his best to sound nonchalant. As soon as I delivered the news about Stan, his face and neck started to get red, to the point I feared he'd collapse. But Abe maintained his composure admirably and did no more than nod and ask for a confirmation of the traitor's name.

We'd been through this discussion before, right after I got back from Tasha's house. I told my parents everything that had happened since the fateful moment Mikhail had entered our house to inform me I had been discovered, concluding with Dimitri's meeting with Cahil and Emel. Speaking of Mikhail, he also only heard the second part of the events the moment I told my parents about them. He wasn't excited to hear Dimitri was back and, as he put it, _"_harassing_" _me. I internally disagreed with the harassment part, but I had more important things on my mind to give Mikhail much attention.

"He might be a dead man, but it doesn't change the fact that Rose will be charged again!" Janine said. "And considering people actually saw her being executed, I have no idea how we're going to explain the fact that she's here now, very much alive, without having faked her own death."

"What's the punishment for that? Faking my own death, I mean," I interrupted.

My dad shot me a wary look, which was very uncommon for him.

"Execution."

I held my breath a little longer. Great. Here we go again.

"Okay," I said slowly, "At least, I'm not behind bars, as in right now."

My parents nodded, but it was Abe who spoke:

"I won't let them put their hands on you again, kiz. I promise you that."

I smiled. Abe always had the best of intentions and I trusted him blindly. If he said nothing bad was going to happen to me, then I was sure I'd be safe. I was his only daughter. Of course, there was always that adorable scum of brother of mine, but, as far as I knew, he was no girl.

I got lost in my thoughts long enough that I didn't notice the sharp, dark look, my father was giving me.

"What?" I asked, suddenly alerted.

"You see," the old man started and I wasn't sure I was going to like what he was going to say, "There's this thing I just thought." He waited for some reaction from me or my mother, but, seeing there wouldn't be any, he continued: "You can't blame the dead."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Yeah, we kind of used the same principle to save my ass last time."

"Language, Rose," my mom warned. I had to bite back a bitter laugh. _Of course_ my swearing should be of universal concern at a time like this.

"You're right, Rose," Abe said, ignoring Janine, "And we're going to use it again. Only now the dead won't be you."

"Sure, we wouldn't want to be repetitive," I joked half-heartedly, but no one seemed to find it funny. "So who's playing the dead guy this time, Baba?"

"No one will be playing dead. This time we put the blame on a real dead one."

"Who?" Janine demanded.

My father looked at me straight in the eyes before answering.

"Tad. We put the blame on Tad."

That instantly made me feel uncomfortable. I had a very high opinion of the Moroi who fathered my daughter. He'd been a great man, one that had saved my life, and I hadn't been able to repay the favor. Furthermore, Tad had been my dear friend when I needed him the most. I didn't like the idea of staining his precious memories with lies and the reputation of a... criminal. I didn't know exactly what my dad planned on blaming him for, but I already felt damn bad about it. Yet... I was now the only parent Emel would ever know. I couldn't risk myself. And if what it took to keep me whole was griming Tad's name, then so be it.

I breathed in deeply and let it out in a gush.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked with a controlled voice.

"Tad was the one who gave you that injection. He'd naturally be considered a coconspirator if he was alive; there's no reason for it to be different now that he isn't. What _is_ different now, is that he won't be able to question whatever we tell about him to Court." He looked from me to my mom to see if we were accompanying him. "Here's the story: Tad fell in love with you during the short period of time you spent as a guardian before the Queen was murdered. He arranged to be your executioner using his own means and injected an unknown substance in you. He proceeded to steal your body and, soon after, the two of you disappeared, leaving no traces."

I was frowning, not sure if I believed this was going to work.

"Shouldn't she have contacted Court after regaining consciousness?" Mom asked.

"Oh, come on, like after getting my freedom I'd willingly go back to prison," I replied.

She sighed, irritated. "Of course not, but that would still make you a fugitive and you'd have to answer for that now," she completed.

Janine had a point.

"I... lost my memory?" I suggested, uncertain.

The look on my father's face brightened.

"That's it! The injection had memory loss as a collateral effect. It wasn't until after the real murderer was found that you regained your full memory and Janine and I encountered you. By then, Emel was your main priority and you decided not to reconnect with Court, willing for her a life away from its politics. This way only Tad shall be blamed."

That was nice, really nice. Wait.

"People will deduct she's my daughter with Tad," I half complained.

"Well, she is, sort of, isn't she?" Mom asked.

I frowned. It wasn't like that; Emel always knew who her first mommy was. And I wasn't sure how I felt about people thinking I had ever had a romantic relationship with Tad. It had never been like that.

"Listen, Rose, you don't have to say that to anyone. You can even tell people closer to you that you assumed her after her mother was killed. But don't go around spreading this sort of information when we're already walking on a thin line. It may raise more questions than we'd like to answer."

I stared at my father and I knew he was right. I couldn't risk anything. But some people would have to know the entire truth – starting with Dimitri.

...

Music was loud downstairs as I finished getting myself and Emel ready for my mom's "small" get together. We were receiving seventy-five guests, among my father's friends and some of my mother's fellow guardians. I didn't know between these two categories there could be so many people.

Just as I was finishing braiding Emel's hair, I felt a terrible pressure in my head and I was no longer in my body.

Lissa paced the room with big steps.

"Has he called yet?" she asked with an authoritative voice.

I felt something weird in my guts. Was she talking about Dimitri? God, I hoped not. He wouldn't do something like this – calling Lissa – behind my back. I was sure of this, but I was still nervous.

"No, princess, Guardian Alto hasn't sent any new information." A dhampir wearing the guardians' uniform answered her.

Stan, always Stan. I wondered what Tasha and Dimitri were doing to keep him shut for now. According to the guardian talking to Lissa, it had been some time since they last heard from him.

"Very well. You're dismissed," she told the dhampir and he left quietly.

She sighed and it was so pain-filled, I almost let out a cry of my own pain.

"If – if she's really alive, why wouldn't she tell us?" she asked out loud and I thought she was talking to her herself.

But a voice, a very familiar one, answered:

"I don't know. But my little dhampir will have a lot of explaining to do when we find her."

Lissa turned to face Adrian and I gasped. Mostly because I hadn't seen him in so long I almost had forgotten how striking his beauty was. But there was more – he had a dark look on his face. Though he still looked the same and his skin was perfect and smooth, I could almost see the scars that many emotional breakdowns had left on him. He was different.

Lissa looked into his eyes and he looked back. It was a disturbed look and I felt as if it reached right into my soul. I gasped once more and was in my body again, with a worried Emel hugging my legs and trying to call my attention.

"Ro! Mommy! Are you ok?" she cried.

I gave her a forced smile and brushed her beautiful hair from her face.

"I'm okay, sweetheart." Something twisted inside of me as I remembered those were the words Dimitri had called her. "Let's go to the party, ok?"

"But, Ro, there won't be anyone to play with me."

"Uncle Cahil will be there." That seemed to cheer her up a bit and we headed downstairs.

Emel found her uncle soon after and I was left to wander the house, greeting strange people. Most of them I had never seen in my life. I was standing at a corner, oblivious to my surroundings, when somebody grabbed my arm. I contained a yelp before seeing it was Tasha.

"Hey, you shouldn't do that. My badass reputation might be stained," I complained jokingly.

Tasha gave me a nervous smile.

"What is it?" I asked, straightforward as ever.

She sighed.

"I'm sorry," she pleaded. It was actually so intense I found myself getting surprised again.

"What for?"

She looked away, avoiding my eyes. The uneasiness was palpable in the air around her.

"You know, for yesterday, back at my place."

"What are you talking about, Tasha? All you have done is help me so far."

She dismissed my argument with a movement of her hand.

"That's not what I mean."

I was getting confused.

"I mean... with your brother. I shouldn't have acted that way." She looked extremely embarrassed.

"Oh", I laughed, "You mean when you nearly jumped on him."

I saw her cheeks redden. Man, this was so much fun!

"Don't make things worse, Rose. It's these damn hormones. They are making me so horny."

She half whispered the last part, but I heard her and laughter erupted from me before I could stop myself. I was laughing so hard I felt tears come out of my eyes.

"Stop it!" she said, slapping my arm.

"You know, Tasha. If you choose my brother to be your very piece of meat, I'll highly approve it."

"You talk like you didn't miss it!"

I eyed her, still recovering from my fit.

"Whatever you mean?"

She narrowed her eyes at me maliciously.

"I know you take the role as a mother completely and don't date. At all. Your mother told me so. I take it you must miss the... physical contact as much as I do. If you get what I mean," she finished with a knowing smile.

My mother had _what_? I don't think I could conceive in my head a scene more bizarre than my mother and Tasha discussing my sexual life.

"Let's not talk about it," I cut her off.

It was her time to laugh then.

"Not so nice when it's you on the spot, is it?"

I decided the best tactic would be changing topics.

"Where's Dimitri? I thought he'd come with you." I was actually a bit disappointed I hadn't seen him yet. Yesterday he seemed so eager to be with me. Did he change his mind?

Tasha was looking at me with the malicious grin again. Okay, not the best change of topics.

"He's over there." I looked over in the direction she pointed and immediately spotted him.

Dimitri was tickling Emel's belly, making her giggle uncontrollably. He had a huge grin on his face as he played with her. My heart warmed at the sight of them.

"Go there," Tasha told me, "They'll both be joy-struck with your company."

I hugged her quickly and walked over to the two most precious people in my life.

"Hey," I said timidly and they turned their heads to me. Dimitri grinned and Emel smiled lazily when they saw me.

"Looks like somebody is sleepy," I said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Dimitri was sat on the ground with Emel nested in his lap. "Time to go to bed, kiddo," I told her.

She made a face.

"But Mr. Giant will have no one to play with," she whined.

Dimitri blinked at her and looked at me.

"I'll play with your mommy."

I felt myself blush, but thankfully he didn't see it, because he was getting up with Emel in his arms.

"Mommy, can Mr. Giant put me to bed?"

I repressed a smile.

"Why don't you ask him, baby?"

She gave Dimitri a hopeful, sleepy look that made him chuckle.

"How can I resist those puppy eyes? Of course I'll put you to bed."

I smiled gratefully at him and the three of us went upstairs to Emel's bedroom. It was all painted in purple with girly things everywhere. Dolls and dresses and all the stuff I never liked, but Emel seemed to adore.

Dimitri put her on the bed and she crawled under the sheets.

"You need to put your pajamas on, Emel," I told her.

"Mmm, mommy, this dress feels so good, let me sleep like this."

I smiled, in spite of myself.

"Emel. You can't sleep with your party dress."

"Please," she pleaded.

I was already melting, but Dimitri was the final factor. He looked at me, saying with his eyes to let her be. I sighed and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Sweet dreams, kiddo."

"Night, mommy."

Dimitri leaned down as well and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, sweetheart."

Emel opened one eye suddenly and looked straight at Dimitri.

"Mr. Giant, do you eat little kids?" She was very serious.

He looked surprised for a moment, then turned to her, equally serious.

"Never."

She nodded to herself, satisfied.

"Good night, Mr. Giant."

She didn't take long to fall asleep. Dimitri and I left the room quietly and went to the corridor.

"I didn't know you were good with children," I told him honestly.

He smiled bitterly to himself. I don't think he intended his next words, but they hurt me either way.

"It's been too long for you to know much."

I was taken aback.

"Well, it's not like you know much about me either."

That triggered his anger. Not something you see a lot on Dimitri Belikov's face, but, when you do, not something you can easily forget.

"Yeah, like who knocked you up."

Regret filled his features as soon as he said those words, but I couldn't care less. I gave him my best death glare.

"Get out of my way!" I half yelled.

"_Fine!" _he yelled back.

"_Fine!" _I repeated.

He sighed exasperatedly and stomped down the stairs.

Shit. He was not going to make me cry. I walked over to my room and closed the door behind me, closing also my heart to the world.

**Hey, I have a question: what do you guys think of M rated scenes?**

**Keep telling me what you think of the story so far. I wouldn't like to mess this up. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**This was the hardest chapter to write so far because _it has a M rated scene in it_. For those of you who don't want to read it, it will be marked. Oh, and this wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't for the help of _CandiGal_, so thank her for the details, guys!**

**This story turned out completely different from what I had in mind, I can only hope for the best. So review, please! I'm more than a bit nervous with this.**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual.

11

I was locked in my bedroom till Cahil called me to sing Happy Birthday with everyone. I left Emel sleeping; it would have been too cruel to wake her. We sang, I hugged and kissed my mother, I ate a piece of cake and readied myself to go back to my room.

For a brief moment, my eyes crossed with Dimitri's. He had a drink in his hand and a look somewhere between regretful, pissed and troubled. Tasha was by his side looking pretty much annoyed. I smiled. It was curious to discover I actually liked her a lot.

I left the party and climbed upstairs to my sanctuary of peace. That was the only place where I could simply pretend there were no problems in the world and my only focus was my bed. I changed into some large shorts and an old shirt saying _Beware: morning bitchiness_. Not exactly the sexiest outfit ever, but it was comfy and that was all that mattered.

Just as I laid my head on the pillow, I was suddenly filled with anxiety. I closed my eyes, trying to make the feeling go away. But I was once again sucked into Lissa's head, instead.

"Should we go after her?" she asked, nearly jumping from her seat.

Christian shook his head.

"You heard what Stan said. She'll run away if you do. And now she has Dimitri on her side."

Lissa bit her lip.

"But we can't just let this pass! If Stan is telling the truth and this is really Rose, I have to get to her! Don't you see, Christian? It's a miracle!" she cried. "I don't know why she wouldn't have contacted us. I'm her best friend. Or used to be, at least," she added hesitantly. Hurt was painstakingly obvious in her voice. It pained me to see I was the one causing her this.

"I'll tell you what." Sparky offering his ideas. This couldn't be good. "You know that new attorney that Court hired to replace Taurus after he retired? We could ask him to prepare an official convocation. After all, Stan said she's still a guardian. She has to answer to Court, then."

"And what reason would we have for that?"

"To convoke her? I don't know, Liss. You are a princess, the last Dragomir. Say you need more guardians. You can be snooty, it's within your royal rights."

She smiled at his joke, but I could see how sad she was. She was still so afraid to hope I was really alive. _And if I was, why would I have never contacted her? Had she done something wrong? Was it because she stood up for Dimitri when he was turned back into a dhampir_? She ran theories over her head as Christian held her in a soothing way.

There was knocking at my door, bringing me back to reality. I don't know how long, maybe an hour had passed since I tried to get some rest. I got up with a jump, falling on my butt in the process. The knocking persisted.

"I'm coming!" I yelled.

Damn, a girl couldn't get her beauty sleep these days.

I got up and walked to the door. My hand was about to reach for the doorknob when the impact of Lissa and Christian's conversation fell on me. Shit, I'm going to be convoked to present myself at Court. I was sleepy, I could be indulged.

The knocking increased and I had to stop the track of my thoughts.

"Open the door, Rose!" I heard Tasha yell from outside.

I sighed before opening it wide and facing her concerned features.

"What is it?" I asked, showing some annoyance, though her expression worried me a little bit.

She shook her head.

"Dimitri."

"What? What happened? Is he ok? Is he hurt? Talk to me, Tasha!" The moment she said his name I went into freak out mode. Anything concerning him led me straight to desperation.

"Nothing big, Rose, you don't have to worry. But I thought you'd be the only one able to restrain him.

"Restrain him?" I screeched, my mind going wild about what he could be doing. Destroying the furniture? Breaking people's noses? Beating up my brother? I shivered internally. He couldn't be _that_ mad at me, could he?

Tasha rolled her eyes.

"Relax. You'll see for yourself."

I entered my parent's living room with my heart trying to find its way out of my throat. For the second time in my life, I saw what I had never thought was possible: Dimitri drunk.

Ok, maybe not so drunk, but he was sitting in a chair with at least ten empty glasses in front of him. I didn't even want to speculate what had filled those glasses. He didn't look good, though he wasn't making a scandal or anything like that. Dimitri was sitting very still, staring straight ahead, as if trying very hard not to close his eyes.

"See if you can handle him," Tasha said to me.

He reached out to grab another glass from the waiter, but I walked with firm steps to him and slapped his hand.

"I think you've had enough."

He eyed me with utter annoyance.

"Well, I disagree," he said and reached out for the drink again.

I groaned and grabbed his wrist, pulling him off the chair. I dragged him through the house, ignoring the looks I was receiving. I was still in my sleeping suit, revealing a lot of leg and completely out of place for a party. But my only goal was the back door to the garden. There wouldn't be anyone there and I needed some privacy to yell at him.

As I stepped out of the house, something seemed to be off. There was this tingling feeling at the pit of my stomach, the beginning of nausea, maybe. I felt as if I was being watched. With a deep intake of breath, I dismissed it as my pure nervousness about the argument I was about to have with Dimitri.

When we were finally there, I turned to him with an enraged expression. He looked tense and pissed, but underneath it all he was... vulnerable. As if he was terrified of what I was going to do next.

That softened me a bit, but not enough to keep me from lashing out at him.

"Are you out of your mind? You can't do things like that, especially not when guarding your Moroi! You're on duty, Belikov! Be responsible for once!"

That was probably the irony of the century – Rose Hathaway ordering Dimitri Belikov to be responsible. He didn't think it was funny, though.

"Me? Responsible? Could you be more hypocritical?" He hissed. Oh, but wasn't he fueling my anger!

"What is your problem?" I shoved him.

He grabbed my shoulders with furious strength.

"My problem is you!" he shouted. The look in his eyes was ravaging. He was a God in his fury. Deep in my guts I was fearful, but I couldn't help but stare at him in awe. Dimitri was so beautiful it hurt me.

I snapped out of my haze with his next words:

"You disappear for years, you let everyone think you're dead, you make my life hell and now you'll barely look at my face!" he shouted. His voice was becoming hoarse as an intense emotion took him over.

I felt tears prickle my eyes.

"Well, at least I know now why you were in such a hurry to get out of Tasha's house the day you found me! You were trying to get away from there before I could appear and start pestering you like you think I always do!"

Dimitri let out a growl and shoved me against the wall of the house.

"Why don't you ever get it?" His voice was anguished. "I was in a hurry so that you couldn't _escape_ from me anymore! You think I don't know you?" He shook me lightly. "You don't want to be a burden, you don't want to hurt us and that's why you didn't come back." He touched his forehead to mine, suddenly losing all this strength. "I know I hurt you and I know you hurt me." I felt something wet on my cheek. He was crying. I couldn't hold it any longer; I started to cry quietly, closing my eyes as tears filled from them. "But I can't let go of you, I don't want to. I'm sorry about what I said earlier, about you getting pregnant. Emel is beautiful just like you. It doesn't matter. It doesn't change a thing. I love you. You'll always be my only love."

I cried harder and he was sobbing above me just as well, soaking my hair and my face with his tears. His arms enveloped me and we stayed like that, crying together, mourning our separation and the hurt we'd been trough. We were so different from the mentor and the student that fought their forbidden love so many years ago. Those had been naive times, when I still hoped everything was possible and nothing bad was ever going to happen. I missed those days. But throughout the pain and the wounds, Dimitri was always the one constant thing in my heart. No matter how rational I'd grown to be, he would forever own the wild and uncontrolled part of me. As if he had the key to my very essence.

Dimitri took a step back so as to have a better look of my face. His eyes were red and he seemed to be gaining strength for something.

"Okay," he muttered silently to himself.

I was having problems opening my swollen eyes and looking at him properly, and therefore I couldn't get a good read of him. That's why his next words shocked me so much:

"You have every right in the world not to love me anymore. I.. I don't have the right to demand that from you. But tell me. I need to know. Just... just tell me. I can't live without having heard this from you."

I gazed at him in shock. His hands were shaky around me and his face was one of a man who expected to receive a deadly blow.

I pulled away a little bit, trying to see him better through my swollen eyes. His face fell and he braced himself for the final moment.

"You, Dimitri Belikov, know nothing."

I pulled him to me and kissed him with all my soul. Never – _never_ – would I be able to live without this any longer. His touch was an all consuming fire that spread through my body and burned me completely. I loved him so much I thought I might explode.

He took a second to understand what was happening. I think his brain had been so prepared for rejection that now it couldn't process I was actually giving in to him.

Dimitri pushed me to the wall behind my back, crushing my body with his. His hands were everywhere and his kisses trailed paths through every inch of my skin that was exposed.

He pulled back from me with raw lust mixed with so much love, I thought I could burst from emotion.

"I can't believe this is happening," he said with a huge grin as a few stubborn tears insisted on falling from his eyes.

I approached him slowly, standing on tiptoe to reach his ear.

"Believe me. We are just getting started."

My world suddenly turned upside down. Dimitri pulled me from the ground in a quick motion and placed me on his left shoulder with my butt pointing to the sky as his own ass was right in front of my nose.

"Dimitri! What are you doing?"

He chuckled and it reverberated through our bodies, making me shiver despite my awkward position.

"I'm taking you somewhere."

I slapped his ass.

"Put me on the ground right now! You can't do this to me!" I complained.

"Oh, but I can. And I _am._ You've been a very bad girl. If I remember correctly, I said you could punish me. Well, it's my turn now."

"Dimitri!" I shouted, but it was to no avail.

He walked, and walked, and walked; I had no idea where we were going. I caught the scent of salt from the sea in the air. It was then realized he was taking me towards the beach. I guessed to Tasha's, but I was proved wrong as he walked to the small harbor.

I was thrown in the air with no warning. I landed on a hard surface and looked around, trying to get a hint of where we were. It was a small boat. A canoe, actually. I looked for paddles, but, instead, saw a motor attached to one of its ends.

Dimitri climbed on board right after me and turned the motor on. Soon, the beach where Tasha's house shone with its lights in the night was far away and the only things surrounding us were the black sea and a dark sky with a thousand twinkling stars.

Waves slowly rolled against the canoe, the only sound but our breathings as the boat rocked gently.

Only the two of us.

***WARNING: BEGINNING OF "M" RATED SCENE***

He came to me with slow and powerful movements. I licked my lips in anticipation.

His arms enveloped me in a tight embrace. His nose buried in my hair and he scented me whole, marking me. My face, my neck, my lips – I was entirely his.

His fingertips traced paths along my back, down my arms, until he reached my wrists and held them before his mouth. Gently, oh so gently, he brushed his lips in my skin. His tongue touched my inner wrist and traced random patterns, making me shiver in delight. My heart was thundering in my chest. I knew what was about to happen and was a little nervous. I knew I didn't have any cause to be nervous with Dimitri. He was gentle and wouldn't push me any farther than I was willing to go. Tonight, I knew this was going to be a reunion of our two souls.

He looked at me and his eyes were lust-filled.

"Forever my love?" He asked me in a deep voice.

I leaned into him until my lips were brushing his.

"Forever," I whispered, sending my breath into his mouth. It was his turn to shiver as he opened his mouth to give me entrance. But I only bit his lower lip and sucked it to tease him.

Dimitri moaned loudly and that turned me on to levels I didn't think were possible.

He laid me briskly on the floor, kissing me passionately. Grabbing my thighs with both hands, he started massaging there. At first it was ever so slight. But as our lust emerged, it grew intense. Stroking and massaging through clothing just wasn't cutting it.

Slowly moving his hands up the skin under my shorts, he delved one, then two fingers inside. As my center got wet from his contact, he started pumping it in and out with appeasing force. I sighed from pleasure and found my way to his chest underneath his shirt... with my tongue. I hid my head under his shirt and kissed his abs, his muscular chest. His nipples. I bit each of them lightly, teasingly, before sucking them hard. I heard him suck in a ragged breath as he pressed the lower half of his body harder into me.

The bulge I felt against my thigh sent me into waves of pleasure, making me suck harder on his nipples. I felt my moan vibrate through his chest and he lost control, thrusting against my covered core. I could feel his rapid heartbeat against my skin. He was taking as much pleasure in our actions as I was. It made me ecstatic to know I could have this kind of effect on him.

We were already panting and we had barely started. It had been so long. My whole body was yearning for him, burning from his touch. I yanked his shirt over his head to ease my job, expanding my kiss-covered area. I bit him lightly here and there, stopping only when Dimitri clumsily pulled my oversized shirt over my head just like I did to him. He was nervous. I could notice that in his shaking fingers that traced my skin like it was porcelain. I could feel it in the butterfly kisses he laid on my exposed belly.

He discovered my navel. That's the only word I have to describe it as he licked its bottom and sucked lightly, then harder, then lightly again, changing patterns and driving me crazy. I felt something moist in my panties and I knew I wasn't going to stand it much more. My orgasm was quickly approaching and I needed him inside me. I wanted all he had to offer to fill my core up. I knew from previous experience that he had _a lot_ to give me and I couldn't wait for it. I needed him _now._

Dimitri unclasped my bra and my nipples hardened as the cold breeze from the sea touched them. He pulled back, staring at me, just staring. He looked like he was enchanted just by my naked form. I felt like the most beautiful creature ever created. Slowly, very slowly, he let his hands touch the soft skin of my breasts. Dimitri had a look on his face of pure awe.

"How could I live without this for so long?" he murmured to himself.

Dimitri brushed my puckered nipples with his fingers, making me writhe under him. He suddenly stopped and all of a sudden I was lost without his touch.

"Please don't," I begged him. "Please don't stop."

He smiled at me and leaned down, never taking his eyes off me. His tongue found my left nipple and pleasure hit me without warning. I ground my hips to his and thrust, making him groan and suck harder. My hand soon found its way between our bodies and I stroke the bulge through his pants. Dimitri growled. The sound echoed in the loneliness around us, the only sound over the seas.

"I can't take it any longer," he panted in my ear. "I need to be... inside of you." He looked into my eyes and I felt love and lust growing between us.

"Then take me. I'm already yours."

We removed the rest of our clothes among esurient kisses. Our hunger for each other was growing to the point of nearly explosion. He positioned his tip on my entrance, gazing at my soul with reverence. At the moment, I was his goddess.

With a deep thrust, we became one. It didn't buck his hips after the initial thrust. He just stayed positioned inside me, feeling the warmth of my wet folds. He leaned over and brushed his lips with mine.

"Roza, I love you. I would never ever hurt you on purpose. You know that right?" he whispered into my ear. I heard the double meaning in his words. He would never hurt me physically nor emotionally.

I nodded my head slightly, just enough for him to receive my answer.

"I know you wouldn't."

He started slowly moving himself inside me. Both of us crying out in ecstasy. The thrust soon turned into forceful, hungry movements. My hips bucked up to reach his thrust. I needed him deeper inside me. I hungered for it. I had went without this too long, I would get drunk off of his love tonight. That was a given.

I could have stay underneath Dimitri feeling him move inside me for an eternity - and that would still end too soon. He exploded inside of me just as I gave him all my pleasure, everything I had.

He rested his head between my breasts, holding me tightly against him.

"I will never let you go," he said with a voice full of emotion. "You'll never escape from me again, do you hear, Rosemarie Hathaway? _I'm yours_."

As I was his.

"I love you," I told him and we felt into the most peaceful sleep we'd both had, lost in each other's arms, rocked by the waves and with only the stars as witnesses.

**I _need _to know what you think! I kindly ask you to review. Silent readers, reveal yourselves! ;D**


	12. Chapter 12

**There's a twist here and I'm not sure how everyone is going to feel about it, but it had been planned for some time now. Once again _acr421_ is the girl of the guesses! She guessed something right a few chapters ago ;)**

**Thank you so much for the reviews! I read each one of them. They make me feel my writing is appreciated and you have no idea what that means to me.**

**Good reading!**

DISCLAIMER: you already know it ;)

12

I dreamt of him. We were together and that was all that mattered. I was in his embrace and his scent filled me with a sense of peace that I hadn't felt in more years than I could remember.

"I love you." I whispered.

And then it all vanished. I looked frenetically around, trying to find the source of such change. It was like a wave of recognition suddenly hit me. I knew this place. I had been here. It was the porch at the ski lodge where we had first met.

"Adrian," I muttered with some unknown emotion mixed with fear.

Sure enough, there he was, looking splendid in his brand clothes and carefully messed hair. He looked at me with a strained face, tears threatening to fall from his beautiful green eyes.

"Then it's true," was all he said in a strangled voice. He blinked, fighting away the tears, but it was a useless effort.

As soon as he started to cry, I felt the dampness on my own cheeks. My legs were moving on their own and I hugged him tightly, locking my arms around him as if there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant things to turn out this way, they only did. I... I–"

"Shh, little dhampir. You're here now," he said in my ear, still crushing me in a death grip.

I pulled back a little bit to have a better look of him. He smiled through his tears, but the look on his face was pure awe.

"This is a miracle. You are a miracle." He tried to pull me into a hug again, but I stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"That's it? You're not going to ask anything? Not an explanation?" I suddenly felt strange, because Dimitri, so far, hadn't. To be fair, I hadn't given him any chance. We'd been fighting and then... well, you know how it ended.

Adrian laughed, but it was bitter.

"Oh, I'm going to want an explanation. I'm going to want a thousand explanations. But right now let me enjoy your return to the living once more," He caught my chin delicately with his fingers, "I never thought I'd get another chance to do this."

He leaned into me and my eyes widened with the realization of what he was about to do. Before I was able to take a step back, though, the dream shattered into a million pieces.

I woke up with a start, breathing fast and disoriented. I blinked a few times before my surroundings sank in. I was still in the canoe with Dimitri, but my body was no longer in his warm embrace and I was starting to shiver from the cold to which my naked skin was exposed.

Dimitri was as far from me as he could, his face turned away. He was trying to get the motor to work with forceful pulls, but apparently he was being unsuccessful. His torso was bare, but unlike my nakedness, he had his pants on. I could tell from his stiff shoulders he was tense, very tense. Angry even.

My heart sank. I realized he was purposefully avoiding my gaze, because I was sure he had already noticed I was awake. A lump started to form in my throat as my fears skyrocketed.

He regretted it. I knew this was going to happen; I shouldn't have been so naive, so stupid! Hadn't he proved once his promises were not something to rely on?

I swallowed my tears, though the ache in my heart would not subside. I was strong enough. I had to be strong enough.

"Dimitri," I called him, my voice the most controlled I could will it to be. It was damn hard.

He ignored me, his back to me as he continued to uselessly resurrect the motor.

"Dimitri," I said with more strength, and this time, he stopped. He didn't look at me, but at least I knew his attention was mine. "Why are you treating me like this?"

There couldn't be any greater proof I had matured over the years than this. Although my mind was already made and I blindly believed he was going to abandon me yet again, I had to ask. I had to give him a chance; another one, a last one.

He turned around so fast I feared his spine would snap. His eyes were bloodshot and sheer pain filled his features. His lips were quivering slightly, but the look he gave me told me clearly he was mad and hurt – and he blamed me for that.

"Why am I treating you like this? How can you even ask?" Dimitri wasn't yelling, but his trembling voice was giving me far worse chills. "You said it in your sleep, don't try do deny it! I'm not stupid, Rose! You shouldn't try to make a fool of me!"

His words made no sense to me. Something was wrong, so very wrong. I stared at him with a confused expression that made him growl in anger and frustration.

"You said you loved him."

"I love you," I pleaded. I had no idea what he was taking about; there was no man but Dimitri to me. He exhaled heavily in an attempt to ignore my words.

"You said you loved Adrian. In your sleep. I heard you say that, I saw the words coming out of your mouth. You were sleeping in my arms and you said you loved another man!" he all but shouted at my face.

I stared at him, completely dumbfounded. What on God's earth was that man saying? I was damn sure I would have never said I loved Adrian in my sleep. Not that I didn't – I did... In a friendly way. If I was ever to dream about the man I love and declare my love while asleep, that man could only be Dimitri. It abruptly occurred to me this was exactly what had been happening when my dreams were invaded by Adrian: I'd been with Dimitri, telling him I loved him. Then Adrian came and I must have said his name.

_I love you_. The sentence directed to Dimitri.

_Adrian_. I'd called my personal dream stalker.

Fuck.

"That's not what you're thinking," I pleaded. "Please, just let me explain."

"You think I'm stupid? I heard you, Rose!"

"No, you didn't. I said I loved _you_! Then Adrian appeared out of nowhere to dream walk me and I said his name. That's all!" I was yelling desperately by the end of it.

He grasped his hair with both hands, doubt and hurt crossing his features.

"Believe me," I whispered.

Dimitri closed his eyes tightly. He snapped them open and kicked the boat's motor with such force it actually fell from its place and sank into the dark water. We watched as it went further and further down, not daring to make a move.

"Great." I heard him mutter under his breath. Dimitri cursed a few times in Russian and leaned on the edge of the boat. "We're going to have to swim. It's no more than half a mile, so it shouldn't be a problem." Without waiting or even glancing at me he dove into the water.

I stood there, frozen, not knowing what to do. It was still night in the human world. What had started out as an amazing night turned out to be a nightmare. I quickly got into my discarded pajamas, unwilling to arise naked at the beach, rising from the ocean like a mermaid enchanted by the stars. Lovely scene; not so enjoyable, though.

I dove into the cold water, feeling its impact on my skin as if a thousand small knives pierced me everywhere. It hurt, adding to my sore heart, but it had to be done. Dimitri was nowhere in sight, so I presumed he should be a far distance from me or even already at the beach. I wondered whether he was going to wait for me now. He was so angry I doubted that, but the aching in my chest told me to hope otherwise, that maybe he would listen.

It took me some time to get to the beach, but when I did, his stoic and tall figure was there. Waiting, I wanted to believe. Dimitri turned on his heels and went in the direction of Tasha's house. I stumbled and tried to run after him, but after all the exertion, I was running out of air.

"Di-Dimitri!" I let out with difficulty. He seemed to hear my exhaustion and turned with a wary look. "Come back with me. Tasha is still at my house," I tried to reason.

But there was no reasoning with Dimitri tonight.

"No," he said darkly. "I need... I need time to think."

I couldn't believe it. Dimitri was refusing to trust my word after all that we'd been through.

"You need time to think?" I asked sarcastically, "Why would that be? Because my love means so little to you that you'd rather doubt me than give me the privilege of doubt? I'm not even saying to simply trust me, because apparently you're incapable of that!" I spat. It was my time to get angry.

"I never said I didn't trust you!"

"Oh, no, you're doing better: you're _showing_ me you don't trust me."

I turned on my heels abruptly, not giving him the chance to reply. He called me a few times, but I didn't turn back. If I were to be honest, a small part of me was expecting him to come after me. He didn't. I was disappointed, so incredibly disappointed. We hadn't been back together for a day and I was pretty sure we had broken up again. I wanted to cry badly.

Fuck his fading love. I was too good for this shit.

I was so lost in my own heartache and cheesy thoughts about life, I barely noticed the nausea. It was so light at first I thought I must have drunk some salt water and that was probably affecting my stomach.

Halfway from Tasha's to my house it started to annoy me. Dimitri was doomed to be the man that would kill me, because, for the first time since I learned what it meant, I ignored the nausea. Even when it started to get bad, I was still convincing myself it was just the salt or the physical heartache.

I was, however, one of the best damn guardians around, meaning that, even without my sixth shadow kissed sense, I was still a badass.

I felt him before he jumped me. I lunged and caught him off guard, kicking his back whilst he was still in midair. The Strigoi fell to the ground in an awkward angle and struggled to get on his feet. His distraction gave me the perfect opening to strike. Only I didn't – because thanks to Guardian Belikov and his seductive skills, I'd left home in a hurry and with no stake.

Fortunately, he'd also been the one to teach me one of the greatest survival rules of the world: run.

I grabbed the Strigoi's head and twisted it around its axis, making sure it cracked loudly before I let go. It wouldn't kill him, but it would give me the time to flee.

I didn't waste any second. Before the Strigoi's body hit the ground, I turned around to run. Before I'd taken three strides, something hit me from behind and I was on the ground. That was a deadly position to be in, so I quickly moved my body to the side, preventing the new Strigoi from pinning me to the ground. I rolled and got on my feet, avoiding a punch ad throwing one of my own in the process. It hit him straight in the eye, making him take a step back with a moan from the pain.

I was about to try and flee again when I saw him. A third Strigoi – faster, stronger, deadlier. But so was I all of those things, which made that an equal fight. He got closer to me and only then I noticed the red rings around his pupils, a sight that would haunt me at night.

I knew those features, I knew his stride. Never had he been that much skilled, but I guess losing your soul will do you wonders. I gulped. Life had taught me some pretty, yet usual, bad stuff and one of those came straight from one of my worst experiences: never hesitate. After Strigoi Dimitri, nothing really could scare me these days.

I was ready for him, but my mind was stuck to what his speed should have been, instead of what it really was. That's the problem with Strigoi: even when you do not hesitate, you might still think of them as what they once were. He dodged around so fast I never saw his punch coming. Before I could do much for myself, his arms had enlaced me from behind in a deadly grip. That was it.

He rubbed his fangs on the skin of my neck, sending involuntary shivers through my body.

"I believe you have something that is mine, Rose," he whispered in my ear.

Sheer anger boiled inside me as his words echoed in my head.

A cry came from behind us and he got distracted momentarily. That was all I needed. I elbowed his stomach as hard as I could, making him double in pain, and got out from his grasp.

"You'll never get your hands on her!" I yelled and kicked him in the face before he could recover.

"Rose!"

I glanced to see who called me just in time to see Dimitri throw me a stake. I grabbed it and went for the Strigoi in front of me. The other one whose neck I'd broken flew at me out of nowhere, sending us both to the ground. We got on our feet simultaneously and began to spar. Dimitri was a few feet away from us, fighting the second Strigoi I'd fought.

In a sudden move, the Strigoi in front of me clawed my right cheek, leaving a burning trail behind. That triggered something I didn't know I had in me. I dodged his punch and got the perfect opening. With an accurate move, I staked him, his body falling limp to the ground.

I turned around and saw Dimitri stake his own Strigoi. He stopped for a moment, making sure the Strigoi was really dead. Then, he looked at me.

"Roza!"

He came to me, hugging me with as much strength as he could muster without breaking me. He buried his nose in my hair, muttering nonsense words. Finally, he started to make sense again.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I trust you, I always will. This is my entire fault. I'm so sorry, Roza!"

"Dimitri," I tried, but he was crushing me. "I can't breathe!"

He let go of me suddenly, still saying how very sorry he was. But I couldn't pay attention to that. I was beyond terrified.

"Roza," he tried, concern filling his face. "There was another Strigoi, a third one."

"We lost him," I said numbly.

"Yes. He had you in his lock when I got here. He told you something," Dimitri hesitated before continuing. "Do you know him?"

I stared at him, dreading my own answer. I didn't want to believe it myself.

"Yes."

Dimitri waited expectantly. I couldn't force the words out of my mouth, so he decided to help me by asking his name.

With a deep breath, I let it out:

"His name is Tad. He is Emel's father."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, guys. I'm a little lost here. I've been receiving less reviews and that makes me wonder if you're already giving up on this. I won't, I promise, but some feedback would be nice, at least to know if this is getting boring =P Thank you so much for reading, anyway. All I want is to improve my writing - and, hopefully, entertain you in the process ;)**

**Ah, _deliciouse_, don't worry, Tasha will be back!**

DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot and a few characters.

13

None of us had said a word on the way back to my parent's house. I was in shock; the news had not entirely sunk in yet. Tad was... Oh, God. My friend, my dear friend. The lovely man who'd once been my salvation. When we didn't find his body all those years back, I knew nothing good could come out of it. Why did life have such a wicked taste for its twists?

I held my tears, unwilling to give away any signs of weakness. Besides, Emel could never know about it. Her daddy was in heaven with her first mommy and things should remain this way. Emel, oh, my sweetie. I could feel the desperation growing in me just to think of her. Tad was after her; he was out to get her! I... I couldn't live with this. But I would. I was Rose Hathaway for heaven's sake, I had to be strong.

Raising my head, I didn't give Dimitri a second look. Oh, I wanted to – badly – but his understanding look would make me crack and I could not afford that.

When we finally got to my parent's, I headed straight to Emel's room. The house was empty by now as the sun was starting to rise in the sky. I opened her door quietly, peeking inside to see her peacefully asleep. I felt like my eyes were burning from acid, so great was my effort not to cry. I had to keep her safe. I had to. What killed me was that I knew how crafty Strigoi could be when they hunted someone down. I had been through that once. Having Emel target by one of those creatures made me want to claw my own skin and, still, that would lead to nowhere.

I sat beside her sleeping figure, feeling Dimitri's presence hovering next to us. I looked at her – so beautiful, so innocent. She was my daughter no matter what anyone might say. Tad was no more than a memory. I caressed her cheek and closed my eyes, incapable of preventing a lone tear to stroll down my cheek. I felt a calloused hand brushing it away and I leaned into its touch, so lost. I looked up at him and he indicated the door to me. I spent a few more minutes just looking at Emel, willing with all my heart to find a way to keep her safe. Then I left her room after Dimitri and into the corridor.

He was nowhere to be found. The house was silent, since everybody should be in bed already. So I figured he should be the source of the sound coming from the kitchen downstairs. Not surprisingly, I found his back to me as he did something on the counter.

"Dimitri?"

He turned and gave me a small and tight smile that never reached his eyes.

"Hot cocoa," he announced, raising two steaming cups. "I hope you still like it."

We sat by the kitchen table, our arms barely touching. I took my cup and sipped, forcing my muscles to relax. I knew I had to prepare myself. From now on, I would have to be ready all the time, at attention every second, and that required focus.

I had missed sharing the silence with Dimitri. It was nicer than a thousand conversations, than a thousand advices, than a thousand comfort words. Dimitri himself was the greatest comfort in the world.

He gently took my hand in his and waited until I met his gaze.

"That Strigoi... Tad," he said hesitantly, trying to remember the name. "He's Emel's father?"

I nodded, drenched in sadness.

"I'm sorry, Rose."

There was so much implied in his words, I wasn't sure if I could comprehend their entire meaning. I searched his eyes with my own and saw sympathy, but also... hurt. Dimitri was hurting. Oh God. It suddenly dawned on me what really should be on his mind.

"Dimitri, I have to tell you something."

He looked at me with expectation. Probably thinking I would start telling him about how I met Tad and got pregnant and our story together. There was no way he could imagine Emel wasn't my biological child, so his logical conclusion would be that I'd just had a close encounter with a man that had once been romantically involved with me. And still... Dimitri simply waited for me to tell my story. Understanding, caring, loving – even though I could see the hurt that imagining me with another man caused him.

Only Dimitri could make me feel loved at a time like this.

"What is it, Roza?" He asked kindly, brushing my cheek with his thumb.

"Emel," I started, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. "Emel isn't biologically mine." The hardness in saying this was because she _was_ mine. Nothing was going to change that.

Dimitri kept staring at me, not processing the information.

"Wh-what?"

I took a deep breath.

"I never told you how I escaped from being executed. You never asked either, but I know I never gave you the chance." I glanced at him, only to find Dimitri with his guardian mask firmly in place. "Tad was the man who saved me. He was my executor. He injected this substance in me and, when I woke up, I was already here. I couldn't go back until the murderer was found and you couldn't know about me because it was dangerous for all of us. Tad became my greatest friend, my supporter, and the man who helped me rebuild my life here. He'd recently become a widow, and his little girl had no mother." I stopped to organize my thoughts.

"You grew close. You became her mother," Dimitri said solemnly.

I nodded, looking down at my hands. Then his words hit me.

"It's not what you're thinking," I said quickly, looking up at him again. "Tad and I were friends, but that was all. The man was in love with his wife." I smiled sadly, remembering all the times he had told me the memories of his deceased loved one. "Tad never stopped loving her, even after she was gone."

Dimitri had a strange look on his face, as if the words had a deep impact on him.

"I know how he felt." he said, putting a strand of hair behind my ear, with a fierce glint in his eyes.

That nearly made me crack. Guilt had started to creep over me every time I saw Dimitri.

"You know it was just a misunderstanding back in the boat, don't you? I would never say I love Adrian. I love you," I pleaded, abruptly remembering how it had all started. I needed Dimitri to know, I needed him not to doubt me.

Dimitri's arms sneaked around me and he brought me closer to him, resting my head on his chest. He gently caressed my hair and I let a few tears fall.

"I know," he whispered. "I trust you. And I love you more than you can imagine." I buried my nose further into him. "If this Tad loved his wife as much as you say, then I know he must have been a great man. He would be proud to see you as his daughter's mother."

I couldn't keep the tears. I hugged Dimitri as tight as I could and reveled in his scent, in his presence, in something I thought I'd lost forever. We just sat there, wrapped around each other's arms, for God knows how long.

Finally, when my tears dried, I pulled away, looking into those beautiful brown eyes that had free access to my soul.

"You better not tell anyone you saw me cry like a baby. I've been crying too much lately and, come to think of it, you were around every time it happened," I joked half-heartedly.

Dimitri smiled at me and I felt it was the moment my day truly began.

"Oh, so now you're saying this is my fault?" He chuckled.

I nodded silently, rubbing my red eyes like a sleepy child.

"Well," he said, leaning down to reach my lips, "In my defense, I'm always the one to hold you while you cry. And after." Softly, Dimitri pressed his lips to mine. It was tender and calming, which eased some of the anxiety in me. I sucked his lower lip and he moaned a little, but he broke the kiss soon after.

"What happened to him?"

I knew he meant Tad. Dimitri might be the one to give me comfort, but he knew when I had to face something. I had to finish my tale and this was the time for it.

"There was an ambush once, during one of his business trips. I used to accompany him all the time for things like that, but that time I didn't go. If I had... maybe events would have turned out differently. Maybe –"

"Roza," Dimitri interrupted me. "You know there was nothing to be done. You try your hardest, but you can't always protect everyone. Believe me, I know. It wasn't your fault."

He was thinking of Ivan, of course. The rational part of my brain told me to listen to him, but it wasn't so easy to simply let go of the guilt. Lately, I'd been filled with a lot of it.

"He's a Strigoi," I remembered in a quiet voice.

Dimitri's eyes were dead serious on me.

"And you know, as well as I do, there are ways around it."

I turned my eyes away.

"This is wishful thinking, Dimitri. There are no Spirit users here. Even if there were, I wouldn't risk any of them. You know that."

He caught my chin with his fingers and made me look at him again.

"Then you're going to protect Emel."

"With my life," I promised.

"With ours," he corrected. "Wherever you go, whatever you do, you're not going to get rid of me."

I chuckled.

"So eager to lose your freedom. Beware or I might ask you to marry me."

He raised one brow, smiling at me. I mentally slapped myself. What was my problem?

"You beware or I might catch you for good," he joked.

"As if you already hadn't."

We kept smiling idiotically at our silly banter. He made me feel so light. If Dimitri and Emel were with me, then everything would be fine.

Emel.

I suddenly remembered everything that had happened and my mood darkened. Dimitri immediately noticed and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I would keep us together. I would protect Emel.

Whatever it took.

**Review please ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks everyone for the kind words last chapter. I'm sticking with this story till the end, so don't worry. This is sort of a light chapter. Hope you like it!**

DISCLAIMER: remains the same.

14

Abe and Dimitri were eyeing each other with a killer gaze. Apparently, Abe blamed Dimitri for my broken heart and not taking care of me in the first place. Dimitri, on the other hand, blamed my father for keeping me away from my life for so long. And maybe my dad being a mobster helped a little bit for their mutual dislike – Dimitri disapproving and Abe willing to tear off Dimitri's limbs.

My parents, as I expected, freaked out with the news about Tad. Janine wanted to send me right away to Antarctica – or anywhere as far from Turkey as possible. This time, we were also discussing the life of a little girl. We all knew I'd put myself in front of her and I was perfectly capable of fighting whoever represented a threat, but that wasn't the problem. They were afraid I wouldn't think straight if there was any danger to Emel and that would be the ultimate danger to us.

I made it clear I wasn't going to exile and that gave us a problem. Dimitri wanted me to go to Baia. No freaking way. I was not going to put his family in danger. Then somebody came up with the idea of sending me to Russia with Emel to spend some time at Alev's. I didn't like the idea, but since I couldn't come up with anything better, I decided to shut.

Dimitri took me out of my father's office and dragged me to the car he had rented. It was a silver Hyundai that was shining under the sun's rays. Oh, yeah, now our schedule was inverted and we were only walking around during the humans' daytime. Tasha had been watching over Emel while we had our meeting, because my useless brother had some business to attend, since our father wouldn't be available. So that's where we were headed – by car, for never again would I be allowed to go on foot.

The sight of the beach was calming, especially because it reminded me of my time in the canoe with Dimitri. The memories came in a rush and I felt heat creep up my face.

"Are you ok, Rose? You're turning red."

I snapped my head in his direction, barely containing a smile. I welcomed the distraction to all the mess Tad decided to cause me.

"I was just... remembering things."

He gave me a side look, confused. He widened his eyes just a tad bit when the meaning of my words got to him and I didn't miss the grin that spread through his face.

"We can do more than just remember," he suggested.

I slapped his hand playfully on the steering wheel.

"Watch the road. We can think about the nasty later, when my life and my daughter's are not on the line."

Just the thought darkened my mood, but I tried not to show it. I guess Dimitri noticed, anyway. I could feel him sober up beside me.

"Don't worry, Rose. I won't let anything happen to any of you. You are my girls, you know."

I smiled as he grabbed my hand in his. Dimitri parked in front of Tasha's house and I got out of the car quickly, the urge to get to Emel growing in me. I always liked to be close to her, but, since yesterday, being apart from my kid was causing me physical pain.

I burst through the door, not caring to knock, only to face the one man I wanted to kill with my bare hands now.

"What are you doing here, Stan?" I hissed.

He smiled mockingly at me. The nerve!

"In case your troubled mind has forgotten, my charge lives here."

"Your charge is dismissing you, by the way. You can go now and do whatever evil things you do when we're not around."

Tasha's voice rung like bells to my ears and I turned to find her with Emel glued to the hem of her skirt. My kid ran to me, wiggling her little arms with as much anxiety as I felt. I picked her in my arms, holding her tight.

"What is he doing here?" I asked her.

"Looking for trouble," Dimitri answered from behind me. "But now he's leaving, so we don't have to worry about him," he added, his voice obviously directed toward Stan and sounding more like a threat.

"Stan," Tasha warned. "Leave now. You wouldn't like what might happen if I got angry, would you?"

Of all the things, Tasha threatening Stan – well, anyone for that matter – was probably the strangest. Not that she couldn't or wouldn't, it was just I'd never heard her say such thing. Hearing it for the first time was... weird.

Stan glared at Tasha, not enjoying the situation. His lips were forming a tight line.

"No need to be irritated, Lady Ozera. I'm leaving," he said, surprising me. Whatever threat Tasha held against him, it had to be a good one.

"Don't come back while Rose is here," Dimitri commanded and Stan nodded.

I watched him go in confusion. That was so not his typical behavior. I'd expect him to attack me as much as he could and not back down because of a mere threat. Man, what the hell did Tasha know that I didn't?

"Tasha?" I asked as soon as there was no sign of Stan. "What is it that you're threatening him with?" I passed Emel from mine to Dimitri's arms to look more intimidating to her and, maybe, get a clue of what was going on.

Tasha giggled. Sweet Lord, she did.

"Nothing you need to worry about," she said. "I swear, Rose, it's nothing big, but, still, something that means a lot to Guardian Alto."

I took a step back, horrified with a thought that came to me in a sudden.

"Oh, God. Please tell me he's not your baby's father!"

I heard both Tasha and Dimitri choke on their breaths.

"Aunt Tasha has a baby?" Emel's sweet voice asked, breaking the shocked moment.

"Y-yes, dear, I'm expecting one," Tasha coughed before throwing me an angry look. Really, what did she want me to think?

Emel smiled and jumped a little in excitement in Dimitri's arms. She didn't know many children here in Turkey and the prospective of meeting one would make her day.

"Of course Stan _isn't_ my baby's father! How could you even think that, Rose?"

I shrugged.

"You live to surprise me, Tasha," was all I said.

Dimitri chuckled, but Tasha simply sighed.

"Dimka, you think you could take Emel upstairs so that Rose and I could have a girls' talk? I bought a few toys for Emel," Tasha said.

"Yay!" Emel shouted and started to jump in Dimitri's arms again. "Mr. Giant, let's go upstairs now!"

I could see Dimitri was amused, but he managed to look serious.

"Sweetheart, do you think I'm a giant?" he asked. She looked confused. "Because you look like a little leprechaun to me. I'm going to keep you in my wallet for good luck if you continue to think I'm a giant." Dimitri and his logic. Some things never changed.

Emel widened her eyes.

"I'm a little girl."

"And I'm a big man."

She wrinkled her nose.

"What am I supposed to call you then, if you're not a giant?" she asked in her tiny childish voice.

Something sparkled in Dimitri's eyes, but it was too fast for me to read it.

"You can call me Dimitri. Or D," he added, not really enjoying the alternative.

"Or Dimka," Tasha suggested.

"Dimka is good, don't you think, kiddo?" I asked. Not as cute as Mr. Giant, but if Dimitri didn't like it, I wasn't going to push it. And telling the kid to call him Comrade might have been funny, but Dimitri would probably have my skin for that. So Dimka sounded reasonable.

Emel looked at me, weighing her options and, with a sharp and cute nod, made her decision.

"Mr. Dimka," she said.

Dimitri grimaced, making Tasha and I laugh. The "mister" thing was probably what he wanted to get rid of the most. He took Emel upstairs to the presents Tasha had bought her, all the way arguing with her about what she should call him. Their silly banter warmed my heart in a way I had never felt and put an idiotic smile to my face.

"Earth to Rose. Do you hear me?" Tasha asked mockingly.

"What?" I snapped out of my own little world.

She laughed.

"You're so consumed by those two you completely forget about the rest of the world."

"I'm worried," I said with a frown.

Tasha sighed and put her hand on my shoulder.

"I know. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. But we can do that while looking through some babies' magazines. I have to start thinking about the layette."

We sat on the sofa, where several magazines were already scattered.

"How far along are you?" I asked and tried to sound nonchalant, although Tasha's pregnancy was surrounded by such mystery it took my curiosity to new extremes.

"Two months," she answered, massaging her belly. "I'm not showing yet, but I can't wait for it." She had this dreaming look on her face. Something tugged at my heart; I would never know what it felt like.

Swallowing my own bitterness, I tried once more the question that was the most vital in my opinion.

"Tasha?" I asked, tentatively. "Who is the father?"

She shook her head.

"You know, if you don't tell me, I'll just assume it's Stan and you're too embarrassed to say it. Worse yet, I could hint it to my mother. Or Alev. You know how Alev is so full of friends, even at Court, which makes me wonder what people would think if they heard Guardian Alto and Lady Natasha Oz–"

"Rose!" she stopped me with a purple face. "Don't you dare! You shouldn't make a pregnant woman get all worked up. Stan is _not_ the father; I've already told you that!"

My features softened.

"I believe you. But if you consider me your friend like I consider you mine, then shouldn't you tell me something as important as this?"

She avoided my gaze.

"I don't want to talk about it."

I watched her. I was not dropping the matter, but it was clear I was getting nothing now. There would be other times.

"Very well," I said, picking one of the magazines. "What is your favorite color?"

She eyed me somewhat regretful.

"I want to wait until I know the sex."

I rolled my eyes.

"So what is the point in going through all of this now?" I asked, indicating the magazines.

"There are still the neutral colors, like yellow and gray."

I snorted.

"Would you buy something gray for your child?" Disgust was touchable in my voice.

Tasha started to laugh, completely forgetting about our argument. I ignored her and focused on the magazine in my hands, looking for anything _yellow_.

We spent about a half hour in silence.

"Rose?" Tasha asked, breaking the stillness in the air.

"Hmm?" I was so distracted, I didn't even bother to take my eyes from the page.

"I think you should go to Court."

That stopped me. I looked up at her with a blank expression that did nothing but increase her nervousness.

"I... I think you'd be safer there." She swallowed, regaining her strength. "There are tons of guardians there and the wards. Tad would never be able to reach Emel."

I just looked at her, absorbing her words. It all made perfect sense, except for the fact that going back to Court was not an option.

"They'd kill me," I stated with no emotion.

I saw her nervous features froze a second before it changed into something entirely different as her eyes widen and she frowned.

"What?"

I shook my head, closing the magazine.

"My dad told me the punishment for breaking out of prison and faking my own death would be execution."

Tasha stared at me with her awkward expression.

"He's delusional."

I cracked up. Tasha was annoyed by it, but I couldn't stop laughing. If Abe ever heard Tasha saying such thing, my friend or not, she'd be in for some bad moments.

"You tell me you think your life is at stake again and all you can do is laugh?" she asked me, irritated.

"I'm sorry, but you really should never repeat Abe is delusional out loud."

Tasha sighed.

"Ok, he might not be delusional, but there's no doubt he lied to you. Probably to frighten you and prevent you from doing anything impulsive. If you thought Court could sentence you to death, you'd keep yourself in the low. Come to think of it, the man is a genius."

I'd sobered up by the end of her ramblings.

"What do you mean I'd do something impulsive?" I asked, offended.

She arched one brow. Damn her for it.

"They found the Queen's murderer, the real one. You've been proven innocent. There's no reason they'd try to execute you again. I know, you broke out of prison and faked your own death, but that would take you to jail, at most. That's why your father lied to you, to keep you in the low and prevent that from happening."

I had no words to express my feelings.

"Are you saying my father lied to me?"

Tasha looked me in the eyes.

"You tell me. I know you trust him blindly, and I'd advise you to keep doing that, but you know the man. Don't you think Abe would lie to keep you safe?"

Yes, I did. But that didn't stop me from getting pissed.

We heard a car parking outside, a door slamming and steps. Surely it couldn't be Stan. Dimitri had warned him not to come back while I was still here. Tasha would let him know when I left.

"Rose!" someone called from outside and Tasha blushed beside me. A smug smile tugged at my lips.

"Just a minute, Cahil!" I shouted back. I turned to Tasha and added: "Sorry, he's here to pick me up and Emel. I thought there'd be no problem."

"No problem at all," she answered, staring at the floor.

I went to the door and ushered my brother in, leading him to the living room.

"Hello, Tasha," he greeted. "Are these baby magazines?" he asked, truly curious. He was the type of kind soul that was always interested in others.

Tasha nodded quietly, suddenly forgetting her own voice.

"She's two months pregnant," I informed him.

He smiled brightly at her.

"Congratulations."

Tasha blushed furiously (which was terribly funny on a pregnant woman's face) and murmured a "thank you".

Cahil picked one of the magazines and flipped through the pages.

"Do you know the sex?"

She coughed, clearing her throat.

"Not yet. It's too early," she said and I was proud to see she'd regained her control. That was the Tasha I knew!

"We were basically looking for neutral colors. She doesn't want to leave the layette for the last minute," I told him.

"Oh, yeah, neutral colors are good. There's always something yellow or gray that looks cute."

I shot him an incredulous look.

"Gray? Come on, Cahil!" I complained, but couldn't help a small chuckle.

He frowned, not getting the internal joke.

"Did I say something wrong?"

It was Tasha who answered and her smile was the brightest I'd ever seen on her face.

"No. Not at all."

**If you like it so far, please review ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I know I disappeared, but I'm back again! I haven't forgotten about A Turkish Tale, it's just that my other story had gone longer without an update, so I decided to write it a new chapter first. I got this really sweet review by _elle _encouraging me to write, so here goes a special thanks! I love all your reviews, so keep them coming!**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual!

15

There was a knock at the door. I was alone at my parent's house, since Tasha decided to go shopping baby things and had taken Cahil and Emel along. It was really quite funny to watch the development of their relationship. Dimitri – and that horrid creature called Alto – had to go to guard them. Of course everybody pushed me to go, but I was absolutely worn out from the latest events and I simply needed rest. Abe was probably doing some mobster stuff and Janine, as one of his guardians, was with them. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't guarded him in a while. I'd been solely involved with my own things lately.

The knocking persisted and I resentfully got up from my sprawled position on the living room sofa and went to answer the door.

It was a boy, a dhampir actually, with a bored look and an envelope in his hands. Too young to be a guardian.

"Rosemarie Hathaway?" he asked.

My heart started beating frantically in my chest. I hadn't used "Hathaway" since I moved here. I was now Rose Mazur for all means. The fact that this boy had come to my door with an envelope in his hands and calling me by my old name could only mean one thing... One thing that I dreaded.

I didn't answer the boy; I kept staring at him with a blank face, neither confirming nor denying my identity.

Deciding I must be retarded, the impatient little man shoved the envelope into my hands and left quickly, murmuring something about "beautiful women with no brains."

I went to the kitchen and grabbed a donut before opening the envelope. Might as well put the sugar in my system to hold the impact of whatever I was about to read.

My hands were shaking, so I used a knife to rip it open and reveal its content: a letter. Holding my breath, I started to read it:

_Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway,_

_You have been summoned by the Moroi Court. We expect you to be at __the Guardians' Central Office by Monday, November 28__th__, at 8 a.m._

_Guardian Hans Croft – Head Guardian._

Short and to the point, but it wasn't like I was expecting anything different. I sighed heavily, slumping in a chair. Damn Lissa. I shook my head, thinking of how much I'd changed to direct such a thought to her. But what was she thinking? She didn't give me a choice. Oh, hell, what was _I_ thinking? Of course she wouldn't give me one. She'd grab me by the hair now if she could. It was surprising enough that she wasn't at my doorstep, considering at least the guardians were aware of my location.

I walked back into the living room, my attention dispersed. I sat on the sofa with lost eyes, wondering what was going to happen.

So... Lissa had pretty much decided everything for me. It's not like I could simple ignore a _summoning_. They would really be able to arrest me if I decided to go against their straight orders. I wanted to be angry at Lissa, I wanted to yell at her when I got there, but, deep inside, there was a part of me that was relieved. Emel would be safe. Oh, yeah, Tasha would be elated that I was going to Court and I was so dragging her ass along. There was no way I was going back there without Dimitri.

The front door slammed and I would be embarrassed not to have noticed somebody was arriving weren't it for the fact I was still too stunned.

Tasha was beaming by Cahil's side, both of them half-buried under shopping bags. Dimitri was right behind them with Emel asleep in his arms. For a moment, I just looked at them, saving the image in the hall of my precious memories.

"Rose, you don't know what you missed!" Tasha squealed. "We saw this cradle–"

"Please don't tell me it was gray."

Her face fell in annoyance, but I caught a glimpse of Cahil trying to hide his grin behind the bags.

"It was ceil blue," she hissed.

"Ceil blue is sort of a grayish color," Cahil said.

"Yeah, but it's stylish."

I shook my head in amusement, but my heart just wasn't there. I was glad, though, those two were getting along so well.

"What's wrong, Roza?"

Of course, he had to notice. He was Dimitri, after all. With Emel still in his arms, he approached me and sat by my side. Our fingers intertwined and he waited while I rearranged my thoughts. I found myself unable to tell him the news, so I simply gave him the letter. He passed Emel to my arms and she did no more than give a soft sigh in her sleep.

"What's going on?" Cahill asked, his features full of concern.

I just shook my head and that seemed to alarm Tasha. Dimitri finished reading before she could say anything, though.

"What are we going to do?"

I laughed bitterly at his question, even though I felt a little warmer when he said "we".

"We're going back to Court. There's not much I can do about it."

"What are you talking about, Rose? You can't go back there!" I should have known Cahil wouldn't take the news lightly. "You know our father will never allow that!"

"Wait." This time it was Tasha and she didn't seem pleased. Actually, she looked kind of nervous. "When you say 'we', who exactly are you talking about?"

There was an awkward silence as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Who do you think I'm talking about? I'll give you a hint: it's not about Stan."

Tasha visibly gulped. "I... I can't go there. I just left. I.. I don't want to go back."

"That's just plain dandy! First you tell me to go there, now you're all 'oh, no, I can't go to Court!'" I forced a high pitched tone into my voice, mockingly trying to imitate her in my anger. "Well, you should make up your mind, Ms. Ozera. I don't have all the time in the world!"

"I said you should go back! Not me!"

That was what it took for Dimitri to explode.

"That's all because of that man, isn't it?" he half-yelled. "You have to get over it! He doesn't give a damn about you and so should you feel the same about him! He's not worth the trouble! I'm not giving up on Rose because of him!"

Dimitri's angry words were a surprise, but I think Cahil was the most struck by then. He looked at Tasha with a strange look. I think he was about to say something, but Dimitri's loudness woke up Emel and she claimed my attention, tightening her hold on my neck.

"Ro," she said, a little apprehensive, "why is everybody fighting?"

"No one is fighting," Dimitri told her before I could. The fact that he said it while glaring at Tasha wasn't very reassuring.

I saw the uncertainty in Emel's eyes and caressed her hair, bringing my lips to her forehead. "No one's fighting," I repeated with a calming tone. "We are just discussing something with Aunt Tasha." I rocked her lightly in my arms and felt her body relax once again.

The discussion turned into a hushed, but heated argument and I thought it would be better to put Emel to sleep before I could give Tasha a hard time. Internally, I was fuming. She had to know Dimitri would be going anywhere I went. Boy, I was pissed. Who the hell could be this man to make her chicken out like that? A former lover? Or maybe... Fuck. Her baby's father?

I gently put Emel on her bed and turned off the lights, leaving her to her innocent sleep. I watched her for a few more moments, then headed downstairs to give Tasha one hell of a time. Before I could take two steps into the living room, Tasha was blocking my way, completely surprising me.

"Shit!" I took a step back, startled.

"I'm sorry!" She took my hand and I didn't know what she was sorry for – giving me a fright, earlier or both. "I didn't mean it," she continued, "I don't mean it. Of course Dimitri will go with you if you go back to Court. I wasn't thinking, I wasn't." She seemed in agony, which was so out of character for her I felt my own anger start to fade. She took a big breath. "I'll go to Court, if you have to." She scanned my eyes and then I saw urgency in her face. "But do you really have to?"

I nodded, looking around to discover Cahil was nowhere in sight.

"I have to. I've been summoned."

She nodded silently. That strange agony was all around her. Dimitri came behind me and enlaced my waist in his strong arms, making me feel warm and safe. His scent calmed me. Maybe that was what Tasha wanted. She was pregnant, after all. It was only normal she was feeling insecure as a single mother, especially with the prospective of seeing the man who'd abandoned her. Who was at Court. Damn. What if it was someone I knew? Would it make the beating I'd give him more legitimate?

"That's him, isn't it?" I asked, because I needed her to say it. She looked at me with a confused expression. "The father of your child?"

Tasha looked away and stayed silent, but that was all the confirmation I needed. Anger rose in me. When I got to Court, along with my hundred problems, I'd get to meet this man. And I would make sure he wouldn't forget me.

I took her hand in mine and she looked at me with sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I was wrong. I would never try to take Dimitri away from you. You know that, right?"

I was going to answer her, but the doorbell rang. I gave Tasha a reassuring smile and disentangled myself from Dimitri's hold, going to answer the door. I opened it, but there wasn't anyone there. How strange.

"Hey, guys," I called back. "You heard the bell rang, didn't you?"

Dimitri and Tasha confirmed they did and I turned back to the door, frowning. Something caught my eye and I looked down.

There, on the entrance carpet, was a doll. Not any doll. It was a doll I had given Emel when she completed six months of life. She was made of porcelain and had dark hair and dark eyes, just like us. Tad had taken the doll before his business trip so that he could remember his daughter while away. Before the trip when he was attacked.

I picked it up from the ground and felt my insides twist as bile started to climb up my throat out of sheer fear.

"Rose?" Dimitri called me, but I could barely hear him. Because the doll's eyes had been painted in red and a sickly smile had been drawn on her face with bright red lipstick, as if blood was dripping from her mouth.

The message was clear: he was coming to get us.

**Personally, I think the summoning letter was crappy. Sorry about that. **

**Anyone read LS? Share your thoughts!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, this is chapter sixteen. I can't believe I've come this far! All thanks to you guys and your amazing reviews. Please keep them coming. Also, suggestions are more than welcome.**

**Enjoy ;)**

DISCLAIMER: same as usual.

16

I climbed up the stairs like a hurricane, ignoring Dimitri and Tasha's shouts after me. I burst into Emel's room and my eyes were instantly on her bed. She was sleeping like the angel she was, cuddled with her teddy bear and sucking on her thumb. I let out a shaky breath and ran to her, picking her in my arms and hugging her tightly.

The sudden motion waked her and she looked around alarmed before focusing on me.

"Ro? What's wrong?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Nothing", I guaranteed, pulling back to watch her face. I wasn't crying, but I was sure that Emel, perceptive as she was, would notice something was off. "We're just going on a trip, that's all."

I noticed this statement caused some commotion behind me, but I didn't turn to look at Dimitri and Tasha, who I was sure were standing at the bedroom's door.

"Is it because of the man with red eyes?" Emel asked innocently.

That got me startled. What could she possibly know about Strigoi? Worse yet – could she mean Tad? The thought alone made my insides squirm in nervousness. He wouldn't dare to touch a strand of her hair!

"Has any stranger talked to you lately?" Dimitri asked her, coming to kneel by my side beside her bed. He was catching on my fear she had been approached by him or one of his minions.

"A stranger? No, I don't remember anyone different." Emel answered, slightly worried. She didn't like our tone, I could tell that. We were probably scaring her, doing more harm than good.

Dimitri and I exchanged knowing looks, avoiding words that might give our thoughts away. It would work with anyone but Emel. She seemed to attach herself to our connection, catching on any silent exchanges between Dimitri and I.

Emel hugged me tightly, burying her head in my chest.

"Mommy," she whined, "what's wrong? I'm scared."

I sighed, brushing her beautiful hair with my fingers.

"No need to be scared, baby. I'll look after you."

"And so will I", Dimitri's deep voice said, while he put his arms around us both.

Emel looked up, sniffing a little.

"Thank you, Mr. Dimka"

He rolled his eyes, but caressed her cheek with his thumb and caught a single tear that was strolling down her face.

I kissed her cheek, then his hand and got up with Emel still in my arms. Tasha was standing by the door with a longing look on her face. She smiled at me, but I could see the sadness underneath. Poor woman. I knew what she felt like, imagining her baby growing up without a father. I knew what she was going through, because for so long I wished for a paternal figure in Emel's life. Not that now I could call Dimitri one; he didn't really have any strings to me or Emel. I didn't like the thought, so I shook it away.

"Tasha, do you think you could watch Emel while I pack? I won't take long."

She nodded and came over to take Emel from my arms. I really appreciated what she was doing for me, going back to Court.

"You still haven't told us what happened." She meant when I opened the front door. I had hidden the bloody doll behind a bookcase in the living room before they could see her, so nobody knew what had happened.

"Later," I told her, not willing to talk about it in front of Emel, and walked out of the room and into my own, Dimitri trailing behind me.

"It was a doll," I said, placing my suitcase on the bed and sorting out through my clothes in the closet. "There was blood painted on her mouth. It was Tad who sent it, I'm sure."

Dimitri enveloped me in his arms from behind, showering the back of my neck with kisses.

"He's trying to scare you," he whispered in my ear. "Don't let him."

"I don't want to let him, but it isn't that simple." I clenched my jaw, composing myself. "So I'm going to do what I have to in order to keep her safe. I'm going to Court. It's not like I have any other option, really," I added bitterly, remembering the summoning. God, I couldn't begin to fathom what facing Lissa again would be like.

Dimitri turned me in his arms to face him. He gently stroked the wrinkle my frown had created between my eyes.

"Don't worry, Roza. We're together in this. Tad won't get a mile near you two and I won't let anybody at Court mistreat you."

"Even if it's a princess?" I asked, disbelievingly.

I saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips, but he was able to refrain it from breaking through. I wasn't so happy with that.

"Even even it's a princess," he promised, then he pecked me. Once, twice, three times, before he finally took my lower lip between his teeth. I moaned and he chuckled, satisfied with my reaction. I slapped his arm.

"You shouldn't play with fire," I warned him, but it only seemed to amuse him.

"Oh, but what if I want to get burned?" he whispered seductively.

"You're so cheesy."

"I might be, but you like it, so don't complain."

I laughed, but it soon died down to a sigh.

"Let me finish packing. You should go back home with Tasha, gather your things and warn Alto about our departure. I'm sure he'll start jumping up and down from excitement." I brought his head down, touching our foreheads. "Just don't take long."

"Long enough to ruin his fun, I swear."

I stared at him, slightly amused.

"You know what, Guardian Belikov? You can be pretty naughty at times."

He smiled wickedly at me. "You have no idea."

And he brought his mouth back to mine.

...

So here comes the rough part.

Cahil, having already assumed half the family business and being respected by all of our employees, had already gotten our jet ready for the flight. He wasn't happy to do so, but after my arguments about what would be best to keep Emel safe, he agreed to help me. Of course, not without a lot of grumbling and warning me our father wouldn't take it as lightly as he had. Brother dearest, how could I live without him?

After an entire afternoon waiting for my parents return and absolutely no sign of them, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. It was getting dark and I wouldn't wait another night to take Emel as far from here as I could. Still, leaving without a single warning to Abe and Janine was making me pull my hair from anxiety. They wouldn't forgive me for that and the last thing I needed was to leave in bad terms with the two people that had saved my life. I couldn't do this to them.

As the sun started to set, I made my decision. Fuck it all, we were leaving. My parents and I could have one hell of a fight later; right now, the only thing that matter was to keep my daughter safe.

Dimitri, Tasha and Stan were supposed to meet us at the airstrip. They should probably be there by now, wondering why we were taking so long. Cahil, Emel and I got into the car for the fifteen minute drive until the small airstrip in our lands. It really wasn't remarkable: just a few miles of dirt cutting through the green hills that surrounded it.

The drive was short and silent. Cahil was quiet most of the time, only breaking the silence to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything in our rush. His distress was clear on his face: his lips were tight and a he had a permanent frown ever since the moment I announced I was leaving and Tasha agreed. I wasn't so sure of where their relationship was standing, but it was clear to me my brother was torn between duty and desire. He couldn't leave the family business – our father now depended on him far more than when I arrived here –, but I could see that, either because of Tasha or me, he didn't want to be left behind. I also knew his dutiesoi would win.

As soon as the car stopped, I was out of it and running to Dimitri's arms, Emel in tow. He hugged us and picked Emel up from the ground kissing her cheek before pecking my lips.

"What took you so long? The pilot is ready to go."

I looked at Cahil, who had been silently trailing behind us.

"She couldn't speak to Baba and Janine," he explained. "They hadn't arrived till we left."

Dimitri stared at the horizon with a worried expression.

"It's getting dark. We have to leave now."

We all nodded and moved to get the luggage on the small plane. The air around us was getting thick with tension as we couldn't seem to be moving fast enough. Night was fast approaching and, even though the airstrip was surrounded by wards, I didn't feel safe with the possibility of Tad being close. He had, after all, delivered the doll at our doorstep. It might not have been him in person, but the fact he most likely had humans working for him was unnerving as well.

"Rosemarie!"

I turned around with adrenaline pumping through my veins, searching wildly for whoever had called me. For a moment, I relaxed, seeing my mother. But then I caught the angry look on her face as she was followed closely by my father and my mood dropped drastically.

I took a few steps toward them, distancing myself from the others.

"Rose!" My father was the first to bark, glaring at me. "What do you think you are doing?"

My mother looked as if she was about to hit me, but, thankfully, she controlled herself.

"Look, I tried talking to you guys. I did," I said, raising my hands to keep them from interrupting me. "Tad is after us; I can't risk Emel by staying here. Please try to understand."

I saw when their faces softened. It was creepy, to an extent, to see how much in sync they were.

"We can keep you safe, Rose. You know we won't let anything hap–"

"Mom," I interrupted her, "I know you have the best intentions, but he already attacked me once and today," I shook my head, "Today he left a doll with the mouth painted in red. Mimicking blood."

I could see the shock in their eyes, although they had their blank faces on.

"You should have at least waited," Janine said, barely concealing a strangled voice.

"I can't... I won't wait another night," I stated. I looked at the sky and it surprised me how dark it was. The sun had already set.

Abe had fixed his gaze on me.

"Are sure of it?" He asked.

He meant going back to Court. I was trying not to dwell much on it.

"No, I'm not. But it has to be done." Suddenly, I remembered the other reason. "Besides, Lissa sent me a summoning. It's not like I can just ignore it."

They weren't expecting this new bit of information and, again, I surprised them.

My father took my hand in this, looking at the similarity of our skins. My mom startled me, throwing herself at my neck and hugging me tightly against her smaller body. A second later, Abe joined our embrace. It was getting hard not to cry, but, for now, I had to be strong.

"Be careful," Janine whispered. "Don't take any harsh decisions and try not to act on impulse first." I chuckled lightly, recognizing the wisdom in her words.

"You'd better not put yourself in danger. And you have to watch over our granddaughter."

"I'll watch over the two of them," a new and deep voice stated. We broke apart to see Dimitri had approached us with Emel in his arms.

My parents hugged and kissed Emel and I swear my mom even shed a tear or two. It was too dark and it we had to leave.

As I walked to the plane, I saw Tasha and Cahil to the side in what seemed like a hushed argument. I saw Tasha shook her head and Cahil lower his shoulders in defeat. They were so unhappy and I felt personally responsible for that, but I couldn't see any way to help them right now.

We boarded the plane just as the first stars appeared on the night sky. I was sitting by the window with Emel beside me and Dimitri on her other side.

"Dimitri," she called in her sweet voice and he snapped his head in her direction. I smiled, seeing the wonder in his face when she called his name for the first time. "Everything is going to be okay, right?" she asked with the sort of innocent hope that could only belong to a child.

He put one arm around her shoulders and brought her head to rest on his chest.

"Of course. You're with your mommy and me. Everything is going to be fine."

Emel looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and lifted my eyes to look at Dimitri. He was staring at me with a certainty that made something tighten in my chest. Both of them trusted blindly in me.

I looked out the window to memorize the images of my land. I had no idea when I'd be back again and this saddened me to no end.

And that's when I saw him.

There, standing right on the border of the landing strip, Tad was watching us intensely with his piercing red eyes. I gasped, noticing how much his hair, his strong features and his imposing height were still the same. But the look on his face... it was cruel. Not anything my Tad and Emel's would ever look like.

Worst of all, he seemed to be looking straight at me. Even from the one mile or so that was separating us, I could see his eyes focused on me. Was it a challenge? I felt my heart stop and the blood vanish from my face when the corner of his lips tugged into a vicious smile.

"Roza?" Dimitri was no longer in his seat. He was in front of me now, a frown showing his concern as he shook me lightly.

"What?" I snapped.

"Your hands are cold, mommy," Emel said, holding my hands with her small cute ones. "Are you okay?"

I hugged her, trying to soothe my agitation. Staring into Dimitri's eyes, I felt myself getting calmer, though my breaths were still irregular and my heart was now pounding in my chest.

I looked out the window, readying myself to face him. Only he was gone. I blinked, but there was no sign Tad had ever been there, his shadows mingling with the darkness of night. Had it been my imagination? I gulped, not knowing what to believe any longer.

"Roza? What's wrong?"

I looked back at Dimitri, who was getting more worried by the second.

"Nothing. I'm fine, really," I tried to reassure him, but my voice was quivering a little. He didn't believe me, but he took his seat again, never letting go of my hand. Emel clutched my arm with her little hands and we fastened our seatbelts.

I closed my eyes, wishing everything would work out. And the plane took off.

**About LS: I liked it, even though some parts got me frustrated, like what happened to the bond (even if Rose's life is supposed to get easier) and some of Dimitri's lines. Also the whole Adrian thing. I wish I could write more, but that's hard without spoilers, so if anyone isn't tired of talking about it, you're more than welcome to message me! _Miss Persaya_, the book probably won't come out in my language till next year, but I couldn't resist it and read it! Oh, I had thought of the killer. But I'm not going to change anything in my story because of that.**

**_talkygirl_, you mentioned you could see an opening in my story... what is that?**

**I'm babbling too much. Please review!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, so don't try to beat me. Here you have the chapter. Not necessary to call me a bitch either, as I have been called. I'm back from my trip and I'll try to update weekly or every week and a half or so. Life gets in the way and it's just hard to find the time to write. I lead a pretty busy schedule. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Thanks everyone for the nice reviews and good wishes on my trip. I loved it!**

**Sorry for any mistakes; I didn't get to read it twice.**

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, as you know it.

17

Nervous? If I was nervous? Well, I certainly wasn't going to admit it, but my insides were squirming in anxiety. I'd been eyeing the washroom door for a while now and I'm sure even the polite flight attendant Abe had hired to fill our needs was starting to worry I'd spill my guts all over the place. I'd caught him looking strangely at me more than once, so, yeah, I was pretty sure he wasn't one of my biggest fans right now.

Thinking about that brought my mind back to what could possibly be my reception at Court – Liss with a machete, Christian with a flame-thrower and Adrian with a .38. And Eddie with the stake, of course. I tittered, earning a disapproving look from the attendant. The man truly did not like me.

Dimitri and Emel were asleep beside me. I would have looked at them with a fond smile were it not for the knot in my stomach. I was both elated and terrified to see the family from my past. Would they condemn me? Of course they would. The question is... how much? After such a long flight, there were only about a couple more hours left. The whole time I'd been trying to come to terms with the fact that Lissa had only sent me the summoning to see with her own eyes that I was really alive. That if, in the end, when she turned her back on me, it would be better for all of us. I was happy with my life and Lissa with hers. My coming back would do no more than to open old scars.

Oh, fuck, who was I trying to fool?

The plane shook a little and I grabbed Dimitri's hand, waking him up. He sat up straight, holding Emel tighter as if to protect her from any danger. She stirred in his arms, but remained asleep. His arm pulled me closer against him and I happily complied.

"How are you doing, Roza?" he asked with concern marring his beautiful features.

I gave him a half-hearted smile and nothing else. He didn't buy it, of course, but there wasn't much to explain. No use telling him I expected my former best friend would try to kill me with her bare hands. Okay, a little over dramatic, but the point remains.

It wasn't a calm flight. There was a lot of turbulence as we crossed the Atlantic, which somehow reflected my state of mind. And my situation with Dimitri, as well, was yet to be defined. I did believe his feelings and I had no doubt about mine, but there was so much more to it.

There was Emel.

Dimitri wanted kids and I couldn't give him those. He probably also wanted a free woman to carry his child one day. Who was I to stand in his way when I knew it was his deepest dream? I could see how much he cared for Emel. But he hadn't known her for a week and she wasn't his child.

One helluva week, by the way.

Take Tasha, for instance. Up until a few days ago she was the rack of my existence, stealing the love of my life. The role model bitch. Now she was all curled up in her seat, dreading a confrontation with a man I was dying to know and I all I felt was worry for her. I didn't like to see her this way. She was so, so scared and she deserved so much better. I had this image of a fierce woman in my head and some jerk was trying to disturb it. I hated him.

I couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes a time, but Dimitri slept like the dead before and after my interruption. Emel, on the other hand, woke up two hours before we landed and hovered over me with haunted eyes. It wasn't a look I was used to seeing on her baby face.

"What's up, kiddo?" I tried to sound nonchalant, but Emel had a way of connecting with my feelings.

She furrowed her brows, calculating.

"What are you afraid of?"

She constantly startled me with those questions too deep for a child and with a tone in her voice that belonged to someone much older and wiser than she should be.

"Spiders. And airplanes," I added with a soft smile.

"Ro!" she chastised me, then she threw herself at me, wrapping her small arms around my waist. "I want to see you happy," she said in a muffled voice against my belly. Just like that, the older version of her was gone and my little girl was back. I sighed, relieved.

I put one finger on her chin, lifting her eyes to me.

"I am happy. There's just some people I haven't seen in a long time and they'll be at Court. And I am..." I couldn't find words.

"Scared?" she offered with raised brows and the innocent look of a child.

I caressed her cheek with the tip of my fingers.

"Yeah, pretty little one. I'm scared. But you're gonna be there, so I know I'll be alright."

That made her grin like it was Christmas Eve. There wasn't much to be said after that, so I left her to watch _Tangled_ on my laptop. Soon after I drifted off to sleep, with dreams filled with Emel, an unborn child, red eyes and Tad. I couldn't get my rest.

...

The sun was setting by the time we landed. I woke up with the impact of the landing gear against the ground. Dimitri smiled at me and then at Emel, who was also waking up in the seat beside me.

It took me a few seconds to comprehend the situation and the reality of it. Fuck. We were here.

I grabbed Emel's hand, while Dimitri quietly walked behind me. Apparently, we had a silent agreement not show any signs of affection until the whole situation – between us and with my return – was sorted out. Anyhow, his presence behind me gave me strength. Tasha walked morosely by his side, giving me the feeling she wanted anything but to be here. She was doing this for me.

I descended the stairs with trembling legs. At first, I couldn't make out the figures that were waiting for us, standing against the setting sun as they were. I had to put my two feet firmly against the ground before I could adjust my pupils to the light and get the first hints.

It didn't surprise me to see Hans Croft was first in line to receive me. He had this stony face on with a edge of crankiness to it. Next to him was... _Fuck me now_. Next to him was Eddie.

He wouldn't look at me. He had his eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to pass a shadow. I knew better. He was avoiding looking at me. I didn't even get the time to feel his rejection before something else took my attention.

"Rosemarie Hathaway. Is it really you that I see or is age playing its tricks on me already?"

I snapped my head toward the unexpected voice only to meet... Alberta. And she was freaking smiling at me. Sweet Lord, she was grinning. Her sudden embrace made me let go of Emel's hand and the shock made me lose all the air in my lungs, but still, I couldn't move.

A cough brought us out of our bubble, but I only had eyes for Alberta. We didn't say anything, nor did we cry. We just stared at each other as a million messages passed between us, until Hans called our attention again. I reluctantly turned my eyes away from her to face him once again.

"Last time I saw you, you were still a hard ass. What happened, Hathaway? A few years gone and you already turned mushy?"

I narrowed my eyes just a little bit. The tease I was expecting from him, but not his arched brow and the tone in his voice. He had what I could only call a "Mona Lisa smile". Like he was trying to contain laughter and I seriously suspected it was at my cost.

I kept my mouth shut and so did my people. We didn't know what they wanted from me.

"C'mon," Hans called. "You're coming with us."

"Why?"

"You can't take her!"

Dimitri's deep voice mingled with Tasha's' high one. Emel scooped closer and hugged my legs in fear. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. I had to keep things under control.

"You got a kid?" I heard Hans ask under his breath. Shit, I had barely arrived after a five year absence, probably still considered an outlaw, and the gossip had already started. God know to what would it lead. But, to hell with it, she was my kid, _indeed_.

"Mind your own business," I snapped. "What do you want with me?"

"Easy there, Hathaway. We just need to ask you a few questions, that's all."

My ass I believed him. I was fearing they'd put me in lock-up again. I wasn't sure my mind would be able to stand a second time. I peeked at Eddie, unconsciously looking for some kind of support or even comfort, but he never looked at me.

"Rose." Alberta's calming hand on my shoulder startled me once again, doing more harm than good to my nerves. She noticed that and took her hand away, but the serious look on her eyes stayed. "You've been summoned. You knew what it meant before you came here. You have to obey Hans' orders as he tells you or you know you'll be seen as recalcitrant. You're not in the position to afford that and we both know it."

I stared at her with Emel wrapped up around my legs. Dimitri moved behind me, but I shot him a warning look before he could do anything.

"Fine," I say.

It's wasn't without effort that I convinced Dimitri, Emel and Tasha to stay behind. They were worried sick, but I had to remain calm and assure them everything was under control and all they wanted to do was interrogated me to clarify the last five years. Fair enough. The murderer had been found and my name had been cleared. What could they charge me for? Faking my own death, breaking security and living with another ID? That's exactly what I was afraid of. I suddenly wished with all my forces that Cahil was here. He would have spoken for me. He would have chosen the best words and kept me safe. He was, after all, Abe Mazur's son.

I didn't look behind. We walked long corridors in the direction of a place I knew oh so well. We were heading for prison. I tried to manage my panic levels, but I could feel bile starting to climb up the back of my throat.

I looked at Eddie and caught him looking at me. He didn't turn his head straight away as if ashamed of just being caught. Instead, he kept his gaze on me. There wasn't anger in it. Just a sadness so great it made my heart break a little. He gave a long sigh and looked ahead, once again avoiding me.

We entered the prison, but we didn't go down to the cells. Instead, they took me to a back door, leading to a corridor.

I didn't know where they were taking me. To Lissa, I supposed, but something in my guts was telling me otherwise. Guardians escorting another guardian was never a good sign. It brought back old memories of the time when I'd been dragged from the cafeteria under the accusation of murdering the queen. It was an uneasy feeling, but one I could handle. What I couldn't handle was what was waiting for me behind the door at the end of the corridor.

It wasn't dark. The window was open and the lingering light of day entered through it. There was a table, a desk really, with two seats facing each other. One of the chairs was occupied. Mikhail Tanner was sitting on it.

My surprise was so great I believe only sheer inertia kept me moving towards him. That and Hans pushing my back.

I heard the door softly close behind me and I was alone with Mikhail. He was looking down, giving me the impression he was avoiding my gaze much like Eddie had been doing.

Shit. Mikhail had fled my mind. I never knew what happened to him after Dimitri arrived at home and now I felt like an awful person. Mikhail had been the one helping through all these years. Did the guardians discover that? Were they condemning him now? I couldn't stand the thought just like I couldn't stand the distance Mikhail was putting between us. I shifted my head a little closer to the table and a little closer to him. He lifted his eyes and met mine with a fierce expression. I was taken aback.

"So it seems a summoning is finally able to strip famous Rose Hathaway from her pedestal. I was wondering if it was ever going to happen."

His words sounded alien to my ears. He was Mikhail. The guy who watched over me. He couldn't be saying those things.

"What? Rendered speechless?" His voice was mocking, but sighed heavily right after saying it, like this is isn't going like he expected.

"Fuck it, Rose," he murmured, "Fuck you. Why does it have to be like this?"

I suddenly snapped out of my haze.

"Like what?" I asked, enraged. "Like _what_, Mikhail? The way I see it, I'm the one who's going under interrogation and facing, who knows, another holiday in jail. _Hell!_"

He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair to the ground.

"If you had stayed away from Belikov, none of this would have happened! You'd still be in Turkey with your family and safely watching over Emel. But no! You had to listen to your fucking hormones and get laid!"

"Call me a slut in my face, you jackass!" I get it. Oh, I get it. "You're fucking jealous, that's your problem. Because I chose him over you and now you feel I'm the one who put that stick up your ass!"

His face was so red I was afraid he'd burst a vein or something. I expected him to keep yelling at him, but no. He inhaled deeply a few times, trying to find his control. I'm on the edge. If the bites me, I'll bite him back.

He walked to the door, avoiding me with long strides. Mikhail stopped with his hands on the doorknob. He was hesitating.

"Hans will be here in a few minutes. He'll probably take you to Lissa," he informed in a quiet voice.

What the hell? What the fuck had been doing here then? I asked him exactly that.

"I was given a few minutes to talk to you first."

"Why?"

Mikhail didn't answer. He just kept still like he was a statue, his hand on the doorknob. That coward. He was going to ignore me.

I turned around to face the window, too pissed to acknowledge him any longer.

I hear the door open and my rage increases, but I refuse to move. His voice is no more than a whisper when he says:

"Because I love you."

The door shuts and I'm left alone. For the first time, I'm all alone.


	18. Chapter 18

**There you go ;)**

DISCLAIMER: The plot is mine and so is Emel. The rest is Richelle's.

18

Once again, Hans was escorting me through long unknown corridors. Leading to a secret chamber, perhaps? Man, I couldn't find my own jokes funny these days. Now it was only the two of us – no Alberta, no Eddie, no anybody else. Especially no Mikhail.

After he left me alone in that room, right after he confessed his... feelings for me, my mind went blank. I guess it was some sort of mechanism of defense. I couldn't grasp the meaning of his words, even though if I were to be true, I'd known it in a long time. Always so caring, my ever present friend. I should have known better. I should have behaved better. Hadn't I given him any hopes, would he ever had the courage to come out? Or would it have made no difference when it truly was the last attempt of a desperate man not to lose the woman he... loved?

I shook my head. This was so fucked up. He belonged with Sonya Karp. Even though she was now a cold and heartless bloodsucker who would probably suck him dry without a second thought. Well, thinking that way... that had the potential to be highly destructive, but he certainly didn't need my opinion when he was already trying to convince himself to move on with me.

Problem was: I would never move on with him.

I felt my stupid attempt at controlling my emotions shake when I thought of Dimitri. Even when he was the evil incarnated, I never really gave up on him. Why would Mikhail give up on Sonya? This just wasn't right.

I was getting nervous.

After Mikhail left, I spent three fucking hours alone in that room, waiting for any kind of signs of life. When you're already anxious, every minute stretches out to the infinite. I think I had chewed all my nails by the time reappeared.

When I asked about Emel, he said he was okay. When I asked about Dimitri, he said he was okay too. When I asked about Tasha, my answer was that she was also okay. Then I asked how his balls were and kneed them before he had time to reply.

Okay, that did not happen, but the man was adamant in annoying the crap out of me. Luckily for me, years of handling Cahil had made me utter resistant to pestering people in general.

Cool Rose was a woman of sweet revenges.

Slowly and deliberately, I started cracking all my fingers. With each crack, Hans looked sideways to me, growing progressively more bothered. He hated that noise, I could tell. When I was done with my fingers, I stretched my arms above my head until my spine, then my neck, my wrists and my ankles did that cracking sound. I ventured a glance toward my keeper and had the pleasure to notice all the hairs at the nape of his neck stood at attention.

"Is something bothering you, Guardian Croft?"

He shook his head no, but I hadn't had enough. In a gesture of compassion, I lightly lay my hand against his arm, comforting him. For a second, he even seemed to enjoy the gesture. Then I flexed my hand and cracked all my fingers at once against his muscle. He froze on the spot, goose bumps of disgust running up and down his skin. Fortunately, we had apparently reached our destiny at the end of the corridor, because Hans simply nodded to a door ahead, indicating me to go.

Overly satisfied with myself, I pushed the door without even thinking what could be waiting for me on the other side. Worse than Mikhail? I doubted.

And, of course, because I doubted, I was proved wrong.

Lissa was right on the other side, sitting on a puff, looking wide eyed at me as I entered the room. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. Huh, given the circumstances, I couldn't really say the entire situation was too far from that, at least, for her, anyway.

As for me... I dreaded this moment. I dreaded it even now that she was facing me. I had no words of defense. I was frozen staring at her just like Hans had been on the corridor, hairs standing at my neck and all.

My heart rate accelerated, my breathing became shallow and I wanted to throw up. Was it what a panic attack felt like? Damn. Tell me about timing. Never had one of those and the first had to be now.

"Christian wanted to be here," she spoke first with an ethereal voice, still gaping at me as if I were an angel... or the devil. "So did Adrian." There were a few moments of silence before she coughed nervously and her voice became even quieter. "I can't believe it's you. After all that time..." She shook her head, lowering her eyes. If I had to guess, I'd say she was on drugs. Yeah, she seemed that high. "Rose?" she asked uncertainly, like a child. She looked at me through thick eyelashes. "Is that you?"

"I..." I had no voice. It was strangled and lost somewhere in my throat. Who could have told me it would be this hard? "Y-yes."

She suddenly rose from her sitting position and came to me in long strides. She hugged me so hard I thought I would pass out from the loss of air.

Then she took a step back. And slapped me.

A second later, she was hugging me again like her life depended on it and she could never let go. For a moment, I was simply shocked, so shocked I was yet to fathom my own emotions. But when she started to cry, nothing else mattered. I hugged her back just as tight, feeling hot tears roll down my cheeks.

I don't know how long we stood like that. All I know is that we cried ourselves dried, sometimes quietly, sometimes sobbing. We cried for our sadness, our friendship, the time apart and what we had become. We cried for the unfairness of life. No words had to be spoken, because we knew what we were crying for and, deep down, our very cores mourned what life had made of us.

When we were done, we separated quietly and she led me to sit beside her in her previous spot. Now that I was facing her red face and I knew it was time to speak, I didn't know what to say.

"Princess," I acknowledged her teasingly. I knew she hated to be called that. Or used to hate, at least.

She smiled a little.

"I could slap you again. And not just for calling me titles."

My face fell.

"Liss... I don't know what to say. You're probably expecting excuses, an explanation for all these years, but I'm not sure if I have one. One that will make you feel better, that is."

Her stare held such intensity I had to repress the urge to look away. I had decided for honesty here. Lissa was already responding way better than I expected, but my insides were still squirming in fear. I had to be honest if I still hoped to keep the last thread of our friendship.

Lissa sighed heavily.

"Then don't say anything. I mean," she added when she saw my confusion expression, "say as much as you feel like saying now. I don't want... to get mad at you. I've done this before and I hated it." Her face was troubled as she recalled the bad memories. I knew she was thinking of when I left to hunt Strigoi Dimitri down. "Honestly? I've been pinching myself every five minutes ever since I was told you were still alive. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. This is wishful thinking, you know? Except... it isn't. It's insane and it's wonderful and everything my wildest dreams would have dreamed of had I let myself hope. But I couldn't. And I suffered..."

I put my hand on her arm to make her stop. She was already crying again and I didn't think I'd be able to hold myself any longer. She understood, of course. I wasn't ready to hear what she had to tell me, much like she wasn't ready to hear what I had to tell her.

Lissa tried to compose herself.

"The only thing that matters now is that you're here," she said.

"We can cry over the rest later," I added.

She took a deep breath, keeping her eyes wide to prevent the tears to continue falling.

"So... what now?" she asked.

Indeed, what now?

There was a knock at the door, followed by Alberta's head peeking from behind it.

"Er... Rose? Do you have a second?"

I was instantly on my feet and ready. But the door simply burst open and a small thing came running in my direction, crossing the room like a small hurricane.

Emel grabbed my legs before I could even react – so much for the fuckawesome guardian I was – and wouldn't let go.

"Mommy! I was so scared!"

I smiled in spite of myself and lowered myself to her level, brushing her cute cheeks from the tears.

"What happened, sweetheart? I thought you were okay with Aunt Tasha and Mr... Dimitri," I had to refrain myself from laughing just to think of our "mister".

"I know! But I wanted you, Ro, and nobody would let me see you. I had to cry!" she complained and, this time, I had to laugh. Smart little devil.

"I'm sorry, Rose. We tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't stop crying without you," Alberta explained somewhat embarrassed.

"That's okay. You can leave her here with us."

Alberta nodded and was halfway through the door when she turned around abruptly.

"Oh, Rose! Dimitri said he'd be waiting for you in his room. You know the one. It's the same he used to stay in."

I felt heat rush to my face, but Alberta was already gone by the time I recovered the ability to speak. I picked Emel in my arms and turned around to find an open mouthed Lissa gaping at me. Shit.

"Ro?" Emel whispered in my ear. "Does that lady have problems?" She pointed to her head and made a circular motion with her fingers, as if Liss had mental problems or something.

I know my kid tried to be subtle, but Lissa heard it, nevertheless.

She cleaned her throat, still gaping at me like I had grown a second head.

"You're her mother?" she asked.

"Yes," Emel answered before I could.

I took a long breath, deciding how to deal with it. Liss' eyeballs were popping out of her eye sockets, while Emel held my neck tightly and a little protectively. She probably thought Lissa was going to try to eat my hair.

"I'm your second mommy, aren't I, baby?"

Emel nodded. Lissa caught there was more to the story.

"Where is your... first mommy, then?" she asked.

Emel pointed skyward.

"In heaven, with daddy and baby angels. Baby angels have wings, but Ro tells me that no wing can make them prettier than me and my first dad and my first mommy will always love me more, even if they can only watch me from there."

Lissa was touched. I was touched. For a moment, we couldn't say anything, do anything, but to admire lovingly the little girl in my arms. She was my angel and no baby angel with wings could ever be more beautiful or adorable than her.

Lissa looked like she was thinking really hard. She narrowed her eyes at me and, then, at Emel.

"You said Rose is your second mommy?"

We both nodded.

"And that your first mommy and your first daddy are in heaven?"

We nodded again.

"Huumn."

Smart ass Lissa, what was she coming up with? Emel grew excited in my arms, which confused me. Almost like she was anticipating Lissa's next question.

"Where is your second daddy then?"

Fuck it, I should have known better. I was about to say there was no such thing as a "second daddy" when Emel started giggling and the fondness that filled my heart completely distracted me.

"Why," she said between giggles, "but it's Mr. Dimka, of course!"

And, just like that, my little devil was full on again.

**Review please!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, guys, no excuses but a hideous writer's block. Yeah, I know some of you must be really pissed at me now, but I'm updating.**

DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing.**

19

I glared at her.

Okay, so I couldn't exactly glare at her because she was just so damn cute with those big brown eyes staring at me innocently.

"Emel! Don't say that!" I scolded as severely as I could, which wasn't much, since that little girl owned me on the palm of her hand.

Her little browns frowned, confusion on her face.

"But, Ro... I didn't even say a bad word."

Lissa giggled and I snapped my head in her direction, this time really glaring.

"Second dad, huh?" she asked amongst giggles and if it weren't for my rooted instincts to give my life for the princess, I would've threatened to shave her head. Threatening her life wouldn't get me the same effect as threatening her hair.

Right on cue, the door opened to let in Dimitri, followed by a Tasha in a very dark mood. I was still much flustered by Emel's words to Lissa and the sight of the very subject of them didn't do me any good.

"Fuck... Dimitri!"

"Mom!" Emel chastised, laughing.

I turned to her with a meaningful look.

"Sorry about that. And _you_ keep quiet," I added under my breath.

"Doesn't mean I have to," Lissa said and stepped forward to embrace both Dimitri and Tasha. I narrowed my eyes at her, but she wasn't looking at me. Dimitri returned the hug, but his eyes never left my face. He disentangled his body from Lissa's arms and came to me, cupping my face in his hands and touching our foreheads. It was so comfortable and natural, even though the only time we had been intimate ever since he found me again had been on that boat.

"How are you?" His voice was controlled, as usual, but the concern in his eyes spoke volumes. "They took you away and you disappeared. No one would tell us where you were. I was so... worried." He closed his eyes and his lips softly caressed mine in a gentle kiss.

"Eeew," I heard Emel's disgusted exclamation.

I took a step back, but intertwined my fingers with Dimitri's and turned to face our audience. Lissa was wiggling her eyebrows in a knowing look. It was so out of place and ridiculous on her face that it made me want to laugh and shove her shoulder.

"So you too are quite familiar with each other," she stated suggestively. "Pinch me if I'm not dreaming," she laughed.

Her scream, followed by an incredibly foul mouth, shocked the hell out of me and Emel in my arms.

"He... Heck, Tasha," Lissa corrected herself in time, throwing a glance at Emel, "What the he-heck was that for?" She was massaging a red spot on her forearm.

Tasha shrugged. "You told me to pinch you, were you not dreaming. We're all very awake, I assure you," she completed in a somber voice, as if whishing otherwise.

Dimitri and I burst out laughing, unable to control ourselves. Lissa was even more pissed because of this, but her glare was solely directed at an aloof Tasha. Emel didn't understand completely what was happening, but she smiled anyway, if only to keep up with the adults.

When the laughter died down somewhat and I found the breath to talk again, I asked them how they had found me here.

Dimitri hesitated beside me.

"A... friend told us. We didn't want to interrupt your moment with Lissa, since you too surely had and still must have, a lot to talk, but Emel was having a hard time without you and we sent her in first." He sighed heavily, looking at me. "I did wait for as long as I could, but I really couldn't stand being there any longer without you."

"Just like me," Emel smiled.

"Just like you," Dimitri smiled back at her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"A friend?" I asked, referring to the source of their information. Mikhail or Hans, maybe?

"Yes, a _friend_," Tasha answered sarcastically, like she despised the very word. I had no idea what was happening with her. She wasn't like this.

Her tone and posture were enough to put me on guard.

"What... friend?" I hesitate to ask.

"A very good friend who happens to care about everyone's well being," a voice called from one corner of the room.

I turned around sharply and met the gray unknown eyes of a man leaning against a door I had noticed before, but hadn't paid any attention to it. He was wearing a dark gray suit, darker than his eyes, that looked highly expensive. His blond hair perfectly arranged on the top of his head matched the air of veiled snobbery around him.

Nobody spoke or acknowledged his intrusion out loud. After an uncomfortable moment, the stranger decided to speak again.

"Forgive me for my rudeness. I haven't properly introduced myself." I didn't like the smile on his face. Made me feel like a prey. "Princess?"

For a moment there, Lissa looked almost disgusted, but she quickly recomposed herself, clearing her throat.

"This is... hu... Henry Conta. He's new at Court." She didn't add anything else.

"I'm replacing Damon Taurus since he retired. In fact, I'm the one who composed your convocation," his smile was all a zillion watts.

I instantly remembered Daniela Ivashkov and her lawyer and my days in prison. Days I wish I could forget.

"You're an attorney?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Pact with the devil and all," he joked, but I didn't find it funny. I really didn't trust his likes. I heard Tasha scoff behind me and I turned to her with a curious expression.

"Oh, come on, cousin, don't be like that. I know you missed me too." It took me a moment to realize the Conta guy was addressing Tasha. I'd expect her to be rolling her eyes; instead, her stare was fixed on him as if she could kill him with a single look.

"You're cousins?" I inquired.

"Very... very... distant ones." Tasha's voice was colder than ice. It kind of gave me the creeps.

The man absurdly laughed, dismissing her completely, and checked his watch. Dimitri was a mix of nervousness and anger beside me, but he made no move.

"Well, time's up. It was a great pleasure to meet you, Rosemarie. Belikov, princess," he nodded to them. "Young lady," he smiled at Emel. Sneered, actually, which made her grab my neck in utter fear. "Before I go, though, I should let you know that you are expected to meet the Council at two o'clock, dear Rosemarie. No need to worry. I shall accompany you." He grinned this time, flashing us white scary teeth, before he retreated through the unsuspecting door.

The whole thing was really strange.

"What the hell... heck was that about?"

Everyone looked at me, but nobody said a word. Tasha simply grumbled and left, leaving me staring after her and not quite believing it. I turned to the others, my eyes wide.

"Someone care to explain?"

Lissa shifted from one foot to the other.

"You know that relative you absolutely can't stand, but you're obliged to deal with him anyway because he's... you know... your relative?" Pause for effect. "That's their case."

I felt myself frown.

"Do I want to know?"

They both shook their heads. Dimitri's laugh was bitter. "No. No, you don't".

...

I was biting my nails, something I hadn't done in years. I was given a two bedroom suite where I could stay with Emel. She was sleeping soundly in her room, finally catching on the effects of the long flight.

I felt long and strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and I basked in their warmth. I rested my head against Dimitri's rock hard chest and sighed.

"Anxious?"

I smiled as he made a trail of kisses and nips from my jaw to my shoulder. I detected something in his voice that had been growing for a while, but had never had volume enough for me to actually notice it.

"Yeah, I'm anxious... And tired," I answered him. "What do you think the Council wants with me?" I was getting a little fidgety about that.

"Rose, you're still officially dead. And, yet, here you are, demanding quarters and walking around Court as beautiful and lively as ever. With a daughter, no less. I'm sure they'll want some explanations." He caressed my head, trying to soothe me.

I huffed, but his calming motions were lulling me into a state of easiness.

"What about you?" I asked, turning my head to him. "Am I imagining things or are you about just as antsy as I am?"

He frowned and looked away.

"It's nothing."

"Liar."

I turned in his arms and cupped his face, forcing him to look at me.

"What is it, Dimitri?"

He leaned in until his forehead was touching mine, our eyes locked.

"I don't want to worry you."

"You already did," I insisted.

"You are impossible," he sighed, but continued nonetheless, "There's just so much going on. The whole Tad thing, your convocation, being once again at Court, your constants worries about Emel... There's just so much... We barely have time for ourselves," he ended in a whisper and closed his eyes.

This new, openhearted Dimitri still surprised me. A lot. I guess going through the loss of me had made an impact on him. I wasn't happy about it, not in the least. I couldn't begin to fathom what sort of pain she must have endured. And now, aware of the longing in his eyes, I felt terribly guilty.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, staring at the ground.

His finger dipped under my chin, raising my face to look at his.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said, eying me intensely.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. I'm sorry for not seeing what you felt for me, even though you wouldn't admit it. I'm sorry for thinking you were with Tasha. I'm sorry for being a bitch most of the time."

He chuckled a little at that.

"You might just be right about that last part." He stroked my cheek with his thumb. "But the rest couldn't be helped."

I shook my head. "Ever since you found me, everything happened so fast. I'm sorry I didn't have time for you."

He smiled. "We've been together every step of the way till here."

"That would be because you wouldn't let go of the hem of my skirts," I rolled my eyes. Sometimes the man was just unbelievable. The only reason we had spent time together was because he refused to let me on my own, although I was almost always busy with something else, be it Emel or the apocalypse. I sobered up a little. "Thank you for that. I wouldn't know what to do without you.

"I love you," was all he said.

"And I love you."

He grinned then, right before his lips touched mine in a soft kiss. Dimitri was ever careful about me, like I was made of the most delicate crystal and any abrupt movement might break me. I wasn't fragile in the least, but his careful attentions made me melt. I felt putty in his embrace.

His competent hands snaked around my waist, bringing me closer to him. I missed this intimacy. I missed him, even if he had been my side all the time. Our kisses became more urgent and our hands started travelling through each other's bodies, our breathing growing more labored.

One of his hands slipped under my shirt, gripping the skin of my hip with force. His mouth left mine to wander on the skin right below my earlobe. He sucked there, making me squirm in pleasure. He licked his way to my collarbone, gently raising my shirt up as his hands made a scorching path to the very edge of my bra.

Fuck, this was so hot and I wanted more. I wanted him. All of him.

He stopped for a second to stare into my eyes. What I saw there made me gasp. There was love, like I knew there would be, but there was also desire. A desire so primal and brutal that it made my legs go week. If it weren't for his grasp on me, I wouldn't have been able to stand on my feet.

"I want you so much it hurts," I managed to say through my strained breathing. Something sparkled in his eyes and he dove to devour me with his mouth.

I moaned so loud it made me wonder if Emel wouldn't wake up, but I was way too irrational at that point to care about much beyond the magic Dimitri was working on my body. My shirt was nowhere to be found, his hands were moving towards the clasp of my bra...

"Fuck it, Rose! I'm gonna have to burn my eyes now! That fucking image will never leave my brain!"

Dimitri and I froze, still tangled around each other. He moved to stand in front of me, hiding my semi-naked body. Because he was too tall, I couldn't look over his shoulder, so I lifted one of his arms so I could see who our intruder was from under his armpit. Lovely, I know.

It must have been the shock of getting caught when I all needed was to release some of my pent up energy, but I didn't recognize his voice at first. I didn't expect him to be here either. I looked at his Cheshire grin from the position where he was leaning against the door and my heart swelled a little to know he was here. I was also beyond pissed my sexual frustration would remain that way and it was his entire fault.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I hissed. I could feel Dimitri's suppressed laugh vibrating through his body.

"Why, but one would think after such a long time you'd be missing me!" My unexpected visitor chuckled. "You wound me!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Just answer the damn question already!"

He arched a brow and grinned at me.

"Missed you too, kid sister. Missed you too. Now, father wasn't pleased at all that you had to come here, specially escorted only by the giant moron over there," he nodded toward Dimitri. "So he decided it was time I had some international experience for the business and sent me to Court!"

He was so ridiculously happy I couldn't hold my own scowl. Underclothing be damned, this was my fucking brother! I walked around Dimitri and threw myself at him, holding my big bro in a bear hug. I had barely arrived to Court, but it felt like years and I missed him already.

"How are you, kid sis?" he asked with a fond smile in his voice.

"Just dandy," I grinned.

"Niece?"

"Emel's fine."

He hesitated a little bit.

"Sweet little pregnant thing?"

I laughed at the way he spoke of Tasha.

"Oh, she'll be much better now."

We laughed together and, though I still had issues with my sexual frustrated business, there would be time for that. Right now, Cahil was back. And we were going to rock Court.

**I've been writing without a beta for awhile now and I feel like I really need one. This wasn't even proof read. If anyone is interested in it, please let me know.**

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